The woman who was shot and killed Thursday night in her home south of Eudora was Nicole Eaton, 44, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
Her husband and suspected shooter, Ben Eaton Jr., 52, was also found dead in the home in the 900 block of East 2300 Road, Friday afternoon. He died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the sheriff’s office.
The sheriff’s office said first responders were dispatched to an emergency at 8:52 p.m. Thursday when a woman called saying she was having trouble breathing and needed help.
The first arriving officer at the scene, a Eudora police officer, heard a gunshot as he approached the home, Sheriff Jay Armbrister told reporters on Friday. That officer retreated, and law enforcement quickly made phone contact with Ben, Armbrister said.
DGSO alleged that Ben had barricaded himself inside the home overnight and into the day Friday, had been “overtly hostile” and had made threats against law enforcement.
Law enforcement used robots and drones to monitor the home and to make entry, and they were able to see that Nicole was “obviously deceased,” Armbrister said.
Investigators had withheld the Eatons’ names pending notification of their family members.
Armbrister shared additional information about the circumstances of the incident during a press conference Friday; read more in this article.
One of the Eatons’ family members has created a GoFundMe to help support the family. That is online at this link.
“The Sheriff’s Office is with this family as they grieve during this horrifying time of tragedy. We wish them peace as they work through this painful time that no family should have to endure,” Armbrister said in a statement Friday.
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