William (left) and Heather Small.Photo: GoFundMeA former police officer with a history of domestic violence arrests shot and killed his wife, also a former cop, before turning the gun on himself in a murder-suicide, authorities in North Carolina said.William Oscar Small, 62, and his wife Heather Davenport Small, 44, were found dead inside their Greenville home around 1:15 p.m. on Feb. 4, according to apress releasefrom the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office.“A weapon was recovered from the scene and there were no signs of forced entry to the home,” authorities said in the release. “The deaths were determined to be a murder-suicide.“The autopsy results revealed that William was the suspect and Heather was the victim. The sheriff’s office revealed on Feb. 20 that she had been shot four times.“Two of the fatal shots fired were to the chest and from a sufficient distance to indicate that she could not have fired the shots,” the release states. “Mr. Small had two close-range gunshot wounds to his chest that were indicative of suicide.“According to authorities, William has been accused of domestic violence against his wife several times.“Mr. Small also had a lengthy history as a suspect and as an arrestee for crimes of domestic violence stretching back over the past two decades against Mrs. Small,” the sheriff’s office said in the release.William previously worked as a Greenville police officer and was a Marine Corps veteran, according tohis obituary.He worked with the Greenville Police Department from 1994 to 2000,WITNreports.Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.Heather began her law enforcement career in 1998 as an officer with the now-disbanded Pitt County Memorial Hospital Police Department, before transitioning to the medical field and becoming a Clinical Adjunct Nursing Instructor at Pitt Community College and working as a lead provider at a mental health clinic, according toher obituary.“Heather was able to look beyond the bad, be forgiving of the ugly, and see the goodness in everyone,” her obituary reads. “She is truly irreplaceable and will be greatly missed.“AGoFundMehas also been launched to help the couple’s multiple children.If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go tothehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
William (left) and Heather Small.Photo: GoFundMe
A former police officer with a history of domestic violence arrests shot and killed his wife, also a former cop, before turning the gun on himself in a murder-suicide, authorities in North Carolina said.William Oscar Small, 62, and his wife Heather Davenport Small, 44, were found dead inside their Greenville home around 1:15 p.m. on Feb. 4, according to apress releasefrom the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office.“A weapon was recovered from the scene and there were no signs of forced entry to the home,” authorities said in the release. “The deaths were determined to be a murder-suicide.“The autopsy results revealed that William was the suspect and Heather was the victim. The sheriff’s office revealed on Feb. 20 that she had been shot four times.“Two of the fatal shots fired were to the chest and from a sufficient distance to indicate that she could not have fired the shots,” the release states. “Mr. Small had two close-range gunshot wounds to his chest that were indicative of suicide.“According to authorities, William has been accused of domestic violence against his wife several times.“Mr. Small also had a lengthy history as a suspect and as an arrestee for crimes of domestic violence stretching back over the past two decades against Mrs. Small,” the sheriff’s office said in the release.William previously worked as a Greenville police officer and was a Marine Corps veteran, according tohis obituary.He worked with the Greenville Police Department from 1994 to 2000,WITNreports.Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.Heather began her law enforcement career in 1998 as an officer with the now-disbanded Pitt County Memorial Hospital Police Department, before transitioning to the medical field and becoming a Clinical Adjunct Nursing Instructor at Pitt Community College and working as a lead provider at a mental health clinic, according toher obituary.“Heather was able to look beyond the bad, be forgiving of the ugly, and see the goodness in everyone,” her obituary reads. “She is truly irreplaceable and will be greatly missed.“AGoFundMehas also been launched to help the couple’s multiple children.If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go tothehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
A former police officer with a history of domestic violence arrests shot and killed his wife, also a former cop, before turning the gun on himself in a murder-suicide, authorities in North Carolina said.
William Oscar Small, 62, and his wife Heather Davenport Small, 44, were found dead inside their Greenville home around 1:15 p.m. on Feb. 4, according to apress releasefrom the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office.
“A weapon was recovered from the scene and there were no signs of forced entry to the home,” authorities said in the release. “The deaths were determined to be a murder-suicide.”
The autopsy results revealed that William was the suspect and Heather was the victim. The sheriff’s office revealed on Feb. 20 that she had been shot four times.
“Two of the fatal shots fired were to the chest and from a sufficient distance to indicate that she could not have fired the shots,” the release states. “Mr. Small had two close-range gunshot wounds to his chest that were indicative of suicide.”
According to authorities, William has been accused of domestic violence against his wife several times.
“Mr. Small also had a lengthy history as a suspect and as an arrestee for crimes of domestic violence stretching back over the past two decades against Mrs. Small,” the sheriff’s office said in the release.
William previously worked as a Greenville police officer and was a Marine Corps veteran, according tohis obituary.He worked with the Greenville Police Department from 1994 to 2000,WITNreports.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
Heather began her law enforcement career in 1998 as an officer with the now-disbanded Pitt County Memorial Hospital Police Department, before transitioning to the medical field and becoming a Clinical Adjunct Nursing Instructor at Pitt Community College and working as a lead provider at a mental health clinic, according toher obituary.
“Heather was able to look beyond the bad, be forgiving of the ugly, and see the goodness in everyone,” her obituary reads. “She is truly irreplaceable and will be greatly missed.”
AGoFundMehas also been launched to help the couple’s multiple children.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go tothehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com
