Authorities in Holly Hill, Florida, said a shooting incident that left a woman dead and her male partner injured appeared to be a “mutually agreed upon suicide pact” between the couple.
According to WESH, the couple, identified as 21-year-old Ayadilis Chalas and Alec Matthew Almanzar, 23, went to a local shooting range where they rented a 9mm gun. Prior to the shooting, footage showed Chalas and Almanzar hugging and kissing.
Almanzar then went ahead to point the gun at Chalas’ head before attempting to open fire. The firearm initially did not discharge, and the couple were said to have flinched, the Orlando Sentinel reported. Almanzar subsequently racked the gun’s slide before trying again.
“Chalas and Almanzar again stood face to face, gave each other a few kisses and then placed their heads next to each other. Almanzar again placed the firearm against Chalas’ left temple and fired a single round into the side of Chalas’ head. The round went through Chalas’ head and then entered into the right side of Almanzar’s head,” police said about the October 7 incident in a statement.
Chalas succumbed to the gunshot wound but Almanzar survived the suicide attempt. “This incident appears to be a mutually agreed upon suicide pact between the two individuals,” Holly Hill police spokesperson Lt. Christopher Yates said in a statement, adding that Chalas and Almanzar “attempted to end their lives together with one single shot of the firearm.”
Almanzar was transported to a hospital where he underwent emergency surgery. Police said he has since been sedated.
