A Catoosa County man with a history of domestic violence shot and killed a woman before killing himself Tuesday, authorities said.
David Bryan White, 51, of Rossville, is accused of killing Sharon Kathleen “Kitty” Kell, 51, just before deputies responded to a domestic dispute call at their house off Clara Lee Road, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
As deputies arrived at the home, White was seen standing over Kell, firing multiple gunshots, according to an incident report. The two deputies ducked for cover, which is when White allegedly shot and killed himself.
Both Kell and White died at the scene with gunshot wounds to their heads, the report said.
They had a history of domestic issues, including three court orders of protection since September 2018, according to documents provided by the sheriff’s office.
In September of 2018, deputies were called to the house to serve a temporary protective order. According to other incident reports, White threatened to shoot or kill Kell during at least two domestic disputes since then, leading her to obtain a protective order after each incident.
Before the apparent murder-suicide, the most recent incident was Aug. 26.
He allegedly threatened to “slit her throat” after destroying several televisions and pieces of furniture in the house, according to an incident report. He was not at the home when deputies arrived. Kell told them that White had “become increasingly hostile lately” and was drinking frequently, the incident report said.
At the time, White and Kell were married, and the sheriff’s office requested warrants for terroristic threats and second-degree criminal damage, the incident report said. He was arrested Sept. 8 and bonded out of jail the same day.
“This is the cycle of family violence that a number of families in our community go through that we need to continue to bring awareness to and offer assistance every chance we get,” the sheriff’s office said in the release. “It won’t bring this mother, sister, daughter back, but this is an issue that needs constant discussion, awareness and action.”
The GBI was called to assist in the investigation, spokeswoman Nelly Miles confirmed.
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