John Wise due in court after allegedly shooting wife in her Ohio hospital bed

CBS/iStockphoto

(AP) AKRON, Ohio - An Ohio man is going to be arraigned on a charge that he shot his wife in a hospital intensive care unit.

Authorities say 65-year-old Barbara Wise was declared brain dead at Akron General Medical Center Sunday night.

Akron police said 66-year-old John Wise of Massillon entered his wife's room Saturday and shot her while standing at her bedside. He'll be arraigned Monday.

Capt. Dan Zampelli told the Akron Beacon Journal that the shooting may have been an attempted mercy killing.

Zampelli said "it seems to be slanting that way. He wanted to take away her suffering."

[dresia]

It's so sad that he was in that state of mind to shoot his wife. To look upon her, from what she use to be with him is a devastating thing. I know we had to let our father go, who was in a coma, on life support from a serious infection that claimed his life eventually. The decision was made, to take him off of life support and it took an hour before he crossed over the rainbow. I'm sorry he went about it this way, instead of pulling the plug if he had a choice. Personally, I would not have shot someone laying there like that, but now, he's hurting more for shooting her.

[shovelbill]

WISH when iam suffering that i had a friend that would do this,remember if u dont have DNR the hospital can keep u on life support for years, a couple of friends that were in vietnam with me, left me in charge, the family argured with me to keep them on life support, i pulled plug on them, now no pain for both of them.

[jeff4343]

I love the comments here. Everyone making comments on a story with which you have virtually zero details. I do know this, however: killing someone is not illegal. Killing someone illegally is, well, illegal.

Obama care will solve the issue. Most people will slowly and painfully die at home and won't make it to the ICU since it will be too expensive to receive that level of care.

[ugacrew]

There are more ways to kill a person than firing a weapon. You can kill them mentally, emotionally, and/or physically.

[jeff4343]

I love the comments here. Everyone making comments on a story with which you have virtually zero details. I do know this, however: killing someone is not illegal. Killing someone illegally is, well, illegal.

Obama care will solve the issue. Most people will slowly and painfully die at home and won't make it to the ICU since it will be too expensive to receive that level of care.

[OBAMA4ALLAH-]

I could never shoot someone I loved like a dog or horse to put them out of their misery.

Some people do it because they are the ones in misery more than the sick person and do it for themselves so they don't have to bother with them anymore.
Murder charges are in order.

[rlcanon]

When the time comes I would like to have the option of being euthanized, like a beloved family pet, rather than die struggling to breathe or fighting my restraints attempting to pull the respirator out of my throat, like my beloved father. I don't care what end-of-life decisions you make for you and yours, but I resent the hell out other people dictating those decisions for me and mine.

[amsdragonfly]

If she was brain dead, and it was a mercy killing, why shoot her? I thought people "pull the plug", so to speak, when they are committing a mercy killing. I've never known someone to being n that situation though, so I have no idea how everything would be set up. I just feel like shooting her was a little theatrical if it was indeed a mercy killing.

[ScorpioJax66]

She was not brain dead until after he shot her. He shot her Saturday and she was declared brain dead Sunday, a day later.

[credibility2]

...doesn't matter what her condition was in ICU...he still murdered her...

[ampsanne]

I probably know exactly how he felt about this wife. My husband had cancer and the agony he went through with chemo, and just seeing him go down hill and suffering. You wish you could do something to comfort them. I don't know what his circumstances were with his wife or what she was suffering from, but I certainly don't condemn the man for doing what he thought best. Best not to judge anyone until you've walked in their shoes.

[enough-already]

Hold on there, ampsanne- Are you suggesting we shouldn't judge child molesters or rapists or murderers unless we've done those acts ourselves? Isn't that what is meant by the phrase "until you've walked in their shoes"? I'm sorry, I and others don't need to walk in their shoes- wrong is wrong and if you can't see that, you are blind.

[Eriverq]

He did her a favor id she was brain dead.

[twmat311]

I think he did it Saturday, and they declared Sunday - but regardless, no judging him till we stand in his shoes. When you're watching someone and can't do a thing to help, who knows what that's like till they're in the same situation.

[ganguandaland]

I feel for him