Fort Lewis Army Wife Kills Husband During Gun Lesson

April 14, 2009— -- As he prepared to deploy to Afghanistan for his third tour of duty, Fort Lewis Army Sgt. Eric Autio wanted to make sure his new bride knew how to use the couple's gun so she'd be safe while he was away.

But in what appears to be a tragic accident, Autio was shot in the head and killed Sunday as he stood in their Olympia, Wash., home in front of the loaded gun his wife had pointed at him, police said. She called 911 and tried to resuscitate him but it was too late.

"They found Eric in the garage with a gunshot wound to the head -- he was obviously deceased -- and a very distraught wife," Thurston County Sheriff's Office Lt. Chris Mealy told ABCNews.com.

The gun that killed Autio was his own non-military issue, legally registered Glock, officials said. Police have not officially ruled the shooting accidental but Mealy said investigators are leaning that way. An autopsy, scheduled for Tuesday, and further interviews will yield more information, he said.

"He was trying to teach her to become acquainted with it and how to shoot," said Mealy, who did not release the wife's name. Autio was shot, he added, "right smack dab in the front part of the head."

A Fort Lewis spokesman had no comment today.

Peter Hamm, communications director for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, told ABCNews.com that while Autio's death was tragic, "unfortunately, it was not unique."

"In terms of people handing other people firearms in a casual way and talking about the firearms, it happens a lot," he said.

"These things are extraordinarily dangerous," Hamm said. "You've got to treat a firearm like a bomb that could go off at any moment."

According to Centers for Disease Control findings provided by the Brady Campaign, 789 Americans were shot to death accidentally in 2005, the most recent year for which statistics are available. There were 14,678 accidental gunshot injuries that same year.

Mealy said the couple, both 25 and married since January, had been out with family and friends Saturday night, drinking alcohol, but an "appropriate" amount. It was unclear whether alcohol played any role in the shooting around 1:30 a.m. Sunday morning.

Mealy said Autio's wife submitted to a blood test, but those results have not yet been analyzed.