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February 7, 2009

Police: Man stabs his wife to death, then shoots himself inside Evans Drug

By Cass Rains Staff Writer

A 38-year-old man shot and killed himself in front of Evans Drug employees and customers Friday after apparently killing his 35-year-old wife less than 20 minutes before.

The woman was identified by Enid Police Department as Sherry Susan Lovely. She had been stabbed. The man was identified as Donald Gene Lovely.

A cadre of police and fire personnel were stationed in front of the store at 1108 W. Willow as onlookers, would-be customers and people looking for those inside gathered at the store parking lot. People leaving about an hour after the man walked inside and shot himself in the middle of the store had tears streaming down their faces and embraced those waiting for them.



Enid Police Department officers responded about 2:41 p.m. Friday to a 911 call reporting a woman with severe injuries inside a home in the 5200 block of North Washington, north of Enid. The house is about four miles from Evans Drug.

There, they found Sherry Lovely dead of apparent stab wounds, said EPD Lt. Eric Holtzclaw.

About 18 minutes later, about 2:59 p.m., officers responded to a 911 call from Evans Drug indicating a man had shot himself while inside the store.

Donald Lovely was transported by Life EMS to St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center in critical condition and later was pronounced dead as a result of a single gunshot wound to the head, Holtzclaw said.

Holtzclaw said a single call to 911 was made by another person who lives at the home on Washington before the murder oc-curred.

Holtzclaw said two 911 calls were received from the store following Donald Lovely’s suicide. Donald Lovely’s connection to the store was unclear Friday evening, but Holtzclaw said the man was not an employee of the store.

Enid Police Department detectives and officers were processing both crime scenes Friday night and reviewing evidence already collected.

“At this time, it is believed that both incidents are related to each other,” Holtzclaw said. “The initial investigation has revealed that this is a domestic related murder-suicide involving a husband and wife.

No information was released about the gun used in Donald Lovely’s suicide or the weapon used in Sherry Lovely’s murder. Holtzclaw would not say if the gun used in the suicide was obtained from the store or if it belonged to Donald Lovely, citing it was too soon in the investigation.

Holtzclaw said next of kin have been notified and assistance for those families is being provided.

This is the first murder in Enid this year.

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