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Man Allegedly Shoots Wife In Front Of Their 9-Year-Old Child, Is Found By Police Holding Newborn
Maigan Olson had just given birth three weeks before being gunned down in her Madera, California home, allegedly by her husband Jeffery Olson.
In a horrific burst of alleged domestic violence, a central California man is accused of fatally shooting his wife — who'd just gave birth three weeks ago — in front of their 9-year-old child.
Neighbors heard gunshots on Apr. 16 coming from the Madera home where Jeffery Olson, 33, and his wife Maigan Olson, 35, lived with their children, according to local outlet KFSN.
The couple’s young child apparently witnessed the shooting and ran to a neighbor's home for help, the Madera Tribune reports.
A welfare check was requested of the Madera Police Department shortly after. When officers arrived on scene, “they discovered the victim of an apparent murder,” police stated.
Maigan Olson was pronounced dead inside the home. She had been shot numerous times.
Responding officers found Jeffery holding the infant his wife had recently given birth to.
“When the officers got there, [Olson] was standing there holding the 3-week-old,” police chief Dino Lawson told the Tribune. “During the interview, a confession was obtained. All we know is there was possibly an argument going on.”
Jeffery has been described as cooperative by police.
Police have described the murder as “a domestic violence case.”
They added that “domestic violence can be an insidious crime that often goes unreported for years.”
The family had no history of violence and they were not known to police.
“Who knows what is occurring with individuals now at this time [of global pandemic]," Lawson said. "It doesn’t justify this or any domestic violence [...] but there is a lot of stress and pressure on everybody right now.”
Multiple law enforcement agencies told NBC News earlier this month that there has been a surge in domestic violence as people have been ordered to stay home amid coronavirus concerns.
Olson is being held in lieu of $1 million bail. It’s not clear if he has a lawyer. The couple’s children are now in the care of extended family.
Lawson encouraged anyone experiencing domestic violence of any kind to call police at 911 if it is an emergency or the non-emergency dispatch number of (559) 675-4220 if it is not.
