An 86-year-old man has been charged with murdering his wife with a revolver at an Essex care home.
Ronald King will appear in Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday charged with murdering Rita King, 81.
Mrs King died at De La Mer House in Walton-on-the-Naze on Sunday morning.
War veteran Mr King was arrested at the scene and spent 36 hours being questioned in police custody.
Officers found a revolver at the scene of the killing, in De La Mer House, Walton-on-the-Naze.
Both Mr and Mrs King were apparently resident at the home, with Mr King having spent a week visiting his wife for Christmas according to reports.
The home is billed as “luxury accommodation for the retired elderly” on signs by the door.
Emergency services were called just after 9am, police said. Medics battled to save the woman but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Julie Curtis, who has run De La Mer residential home for two years, told reporters she saw a man holding a gun following the shooting, but at first did not realise anyone had been hurt.
“My first thought was that it wasn’t real,” she said.
“It’s a shock. I cannot believe it happened at a residential care home.
“Our staff have been brilliant, staying calm and speaking to the residents who live here. Under the circumstances, everyone is coping very well.”
