LAYTON, Utah -- A community in Layton is mourning after their neighbor allegedly fatally shot his wife and then turned the gun on himself.
It happened around 1:30 a.m. at 580 North Franklin Drive.
Police said the couple started fighting late into the night, which is when things got heated.
The couple's 20-year-old daughter called 911 and told a dispatcher her parents had been fighting and then she heard loud bangs.
When she checked on them, she found both her mother and father bleeding from gunshot wounds.
“It will be a shock for everybody in the neighborhood,” said neighbor Otto Huebner. “We know him from church and the children. For me it's unbelievable.”
Investigators believe the husband, 39-year-old Bret Pepper, shot his wife, 37-year-old Jill Pepper, with a handgun and then shot himself.
Their three children, ages 20, 13 and 10, were in the home at the time.The children were taken from the home by other family members, according to a press release from the Layton Police Department.
“That's what I'm concerned about is the kids,” said friend and neighbor Curtis Green. “That's going to be really hard for them, especially this time of year. I can't believe that this happened.”
Friends and neighbors said they felt they knew the Peppers well, saying they never suspected problems between them.
“This is not a house where people fought and screamed, you would ever expect this,” said family friend Jon Taylor.
