NUNICA, Mich. — The wife of a Nunica man who was shot and killed in his home in late January was arraigned in court Monday in connection to his death.
Ottawa County deputies say 41-year-old Aaron Elizabeth Gardner used a gun carelessly, causing 41-year-old Keith Gardner's death and also lied multiple times to investigators.
She was arraigned in 58th District Court and remains in the Ottawa County Jail on a $25,000 bond.
According to deputies, the shooting happened around 10:45 p.m. on Jan. 23 at a home in the 17300 block of 120th Avenue.
Responding officers found Gardner suffering from a gunshot wound to the abdomen. He was taken to a hospital, where he later died.
13 ON YOUR SIDE obtained a snippet of dispatch audio between officers and dispatchers from the night of the shooting: "The wife, Aaron. She advised she had thrown the gun down the stairs and it went off. Father's at the top of the stairs."
Investigators say the wife's story was suspicious from the start.
They looked into all possibilities but ultimately determined what they believe is the truth.
"The female half went to Gardner's residence. They had been separated for some time. She went over there uninvited and there was a domestic disturbance," said Capt. Jacob Sparks, a spokesperson with the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office.
During this altercation, deputies say Gardner's wife grabbed his gun and shot him.
"The suspect provided many different versions of events to investigators over numerous different interviews with her which ultimately led to the lying charge, including where the location of the gun had been kept prior to it being in her position during the argument."
There were some past issues of domestic disturbances in the couple's relationship, Sparks said.
Gardner's two teenage children were also home at the time of the shooting. No one else was injured, deputies say.
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