TOOELE, Utah — A man was arrested for allegedly shooting and killing his wife Thursday in Tooele.
According to the arrest report, 36-year-old Michael Leroy Patterson and his unidentified wife were arguing in their bedroom before he shot her.
Police learned details of the shooting after interviewing the couple's 10-year-old daughter, who told them she heard her parents arguing in the bedroom. She heard a loud boom and saw her dad leave the room, grab his car keys and leave the house while looking angry. She said she didn't hear any sound from the bedroom but thought her mom just wanted some peace and quiet.
Around 6:40 p.m., their 9-year-old son then came home to ask his parents for permission to go swimming with his friends. That's when he found his mom, and he ran out of the bathroom crying and told his sister that their mom was lying in the bathroom with blood.
Neighbors alerted by the children went into the apartment and called 911 after they found the woman lying unconscious with blood on the floor.
Officers went to the apartment at 870 S. 1050 West and found the 35-year-old woman dead in the bathroom with a gunshot wound to her head.
While police were at the scene, Patterson called 911 and said he had shot his wife. He told them where he was, and he was taken into custody in an industrial area of Tooele a few miles from the family's home.
Patterson told police he had discarded his wife's broken cellphone, a gun and a magazine near where he parked his car. Officers went to the area and found the items, which they said appeared to be hidden, along with a spent shell casing. There were no bullet casings at the scene of the shooting.
Patterson later told investigators that he had been using methamphetamine for the past several days. He and his wife were arguing Thursday evening, and she was apparently packing items to leave.
He said she went into the bathroom, and he took his Glock handgun from its holster and followed her. When he entered the bathroom, he said his wife was startled, and he claimed "the handgun was accidentally fired," police wrote in the arrest report.
Patterson was booked into jail on a single felony count of murder. He is being held without bail.
The couple also had a 2-year-old son. Their daughter told police the toddler was sleeping on the couch at the time of the incident.
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Domestic violence victim resources (free, 24/7, confidential):
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition:
- Hotline: 1-800-897-LINK (5465)
- Online help: udvc.org
- National Domestic Violence Hotline
- 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
- Online live chat: thehotline.org
- If you or someone else is in immediate danger, or in an emergency, call 9-1-1 immediately.
