SANTA ROSA COUNTY, Fla. (TCD) — Local SWAT reportedly entered a home over the weekend and discovered a man and his wife dead from a suspected murder-suicide.
According to a press conference held by Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson, on the evening of June 9, an off-duty Okaloosa County deputy called 911 and said there was a child at his house with a gunshot wound. An incident report obtained by WEAR-TV alleges deputies arrived and instructed 41-year-old Michael Delmar to exit the residence, and authorities evacuated the neighborhood.
The SWAT team reportedly entered and found Michael Delmar and his wife, 42-year-old Katie Delmar, deceased from what investigators believe is a murder-suicide. According to Johnson, Michael and Katie Delmar’s 4-year-old, 8-year-old, and 13-year-old children were present at the time of the incident. Two children were transported to a local hospital, including one who sustained a gunshot wound to the leg. Johnson said they are all safe with family members now, but “their lives will never be the same again.”
Further investigation revealed Michael Delmar barged into a room armed with a gun and began choking his wife before allegedly shooting her numerous times in the living room. The children reportedly sought help from their neighbor, the off-duty deputy who called 911.
According to Johnson, deputies had responded to the couple’s home in the past for verbal arguments in 2015 and 2022, but no arrests were made at the time.