East Texas

By KENNETH DEAN
Staff Writer

YANTIS — Authorities say a woman shot her ex-husband at his place of employment in front of a witness Friday morning before returning home.

Several minutes later, she was shot to death by Texas Department of Public Safety troopers after she reportedly aimed her weapon at them. It is not clear whether the woman fired on troopers, but officials say they acted appropriately.

Ms. Kimberly McLarry was pronounced dead at the scene and her ex-husband was flown to East Texas Medical Center, where he died later Friday.

The ordeal began when Hopkins County Sheriff’s dispatchers received a 911 about 10:15 a.m. call in reference to a man being shot in the head at a mechanic’s garage about three miles north of Yantis.

After shooting Robert Alan McLarry, the 48-year-old Kimberly McLarry returned to her home on County Road 1858 in Wood County where she faced off with troopers, authorities said.

“We had troopers in the area when the initial call in Hopkins County came in, and they responded to that scene,” DPS Spokesperson Jean Dark said at the scene.

Dark said when troopers went to the woman’s home, she approached a fence on her property and brandished a weapon.

“They told her to drop the weapon but she pointed it at the troopers, and they fired,” she said.

Dark said Texas Rangers, along with the Wood County Sheriff’s Office, are investigating the shooting and that a helicopter was brought in to assist investigators in mapping the shooting.

She said there were a total of six shots fired, but she said it was unclear if the woman fired at troopers or not.

“That is all under investigation at this point, so we don’t know who fired, but she had just shot someone in the head and then pointed her weapon at troopers. They felt threatened,” she said.

Wood County records indicate the couple divorced in 2006.

Dark said there was no information Friday about why she would open fire on her ex-husband.

“We just don’t have that information at this point, so anything we could say would only be speculation,” she said.

Updated Friday, June 26, 2009 at 8:38 p.m. CDT

(Staff Photo by Jaime Carrero)