Police Identify Long Island Married Couple Shot In Apparent Murder-Suicide

LONG ISLAND, NY — The shooting deaths of a married couple from Long Island are being probed by homicide detectives as an apparent murder-suicide, Suffolk police said Thursday.

William Clifford, 73, apparently shot his wife, Eileen Clifford, 68, to death, before killing himself, according to police. He was found in the front yard of a home on Parsons Landing in Islip by a sanitation worker, and his wife was found by responding officers inside, police said.

Officers responded to the home after a 911 caller alerted the police department at around 6:30 a.m., police said.

Garbage collectors driving past the home saw William Clifford lying in the driveway with a gunshot wound and a gun at his feet, and one worker who was trained in cardio-pulmonary resuscitation determined he was "beyond help," Det. Lt. Kevin Beyrer told Newsday.

Responding patrol officers found Eileen Clifford with an apparent gunshot wound, Beyrer said.

Beyrer told the outlet that the couple had been married for "a number of years" and neighbors described them as "very nice."

If you are having suicidal thoughts, dial 988 for the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.