DETROIT (WXYZ) — A Detroit man shot and killed himself after shooting and killing his girlfriend, according to police.
It happened late Tuesdat night in the 1800 block of Shaftesbury Avenue.
That's on the city's west side. The incident is being called "unexpected."
Watch Darren Cunningham's video report below:
"It doesn't sound like there was any type of argument at all between the two, according to the family. They have not been arguing. There's hasn't been a history of domestic violence between the two," Cmdr. Rebecca McKay told reporters.
Detroit police said the couple, both in their 30s, lived in her mother's home on Shaftesbury.
Five people were home at the time, including the victim's mother and two of her three children.
The shooting happened in an upstairs bedroom.
"Sometimes, unfortunately, the first act of violence is the last act of violence," Jeni Hooper, interim director of First Steptold, told 7 News Detroit.
She said oftentimes, her organization will hear that no one saw a violent episode coming.
"And that might be because the survivor, and unfortunately in this case, the victim may not have shared any information with anybody or reached out or felt safe enough to," Hooper explained.
She said victims will often look for reasons why the abuser is doing what they're doing.
"We don't want to believe that the person that we love or has expressed that they love us would be willing to cause harm," Hooper said.
Investigators said the suspect in this case suffered from an undisclosed mental illness, which may or may not have been a factor.
"When someone is navigating some mental illness, there can be that overlap where there's some struggles, however, it's not what is causing the domestic violence," Hooper said.
Regardless of one's mental state, she said domestic violence is a choice. Another domestic violence incident in Detroit on Tuesday led a special response team to converge on a home on the east side. But police say that suspect is still on the run.
Watch our report about the special response team incident below:
McKay said, "A lot of times, domestic violence that just starts with simple assault and battery leads to violence much worse that can ultimately lead to death if you don't seek help."
The commander urges survivors to call police.
"If you are a family member and you are aware of a loved one who's suffering from domestic violence, the worse thing you can do is turn your back on them. You have to stay vigilant and be there for them when they need you. It can be very frustrating at times, but you have to stay in their lives because when you turn your back, that's when the assailant wins," McKay said.
