Harrison man, 42, kills wife, himself on Christmas Eve

Police believe a Harrison man shot his estranged wife to death early Christmas Eve before killing himself.

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William Fredrick, 42, and Sheila Fredrick, 46, were pronounced dead at the scene Wednesday, said Harrison Police Chief Paul Woodruff.

Woodruff said William Fredrick kicked open a door to Sheila Fredrick's home and entered, armed with a .30-06 rifle. Her 13-year-old son struck the gun with a baseball bat, knocking it out of William Fredrick's hands, Woodruff said. The gun discharged, sending a bullet through the ceiling.

The boy ran to another room and locked the door, Woodruff said. As he was climbing out a window to get help, the boy heard two gunshots from within the house .

Sheila Fredrick was shot in the upper torso and William Fredrick was shot in the face, Woodruff said. The bodies have been sent to the state Crime Laboratory in Little Rock.

Woodruff said Sheila Fredrick called authorities at 12:02 a.m. Wednesday. A police officer responded to the house at 12:04 a.m. but the shooting already had taken place, he said.

Sheila Fredrick first called Harrison police about her husband Oct. 9, Woodruff said, and authorities warned William Fredrick to stay off his wife's property. He was seen on the property Oct. 16 and arrested nearby on suspicion of criminal trespass, Woodruff said. He was later released.

Police were notified Nov. 2 that Sheila Fredrick had gotten a court order protecting her from her estranged husband.

She called police again Nov. 8 and Nov. 10 saying William Fredrick was on her property. But after his initial arrest, police were unable to locate and apprehend William Fredrick, Woodruff said. Before police would arrive, William Fredrick would run through a field near his estranged wife's house on the eastern edge of Harrison.

"She called a total of 15 times from Oct. 9 until last night," Woodruff said Wednesday. "Sometimes it was because her dog was barking but other times her neighbors saw him."

Police found a small cave and a "shack" on nearby property where William Fredrick apparently had been staying, although he had a residence of his own, Woodruff said.

"I think he was spending his time watching her," Woodruff said.

Police filed affidavits for misdemeanor arrest warrants for William Fredrick on Dec. 4, Dec. 6 and Dec. 11 accusing him of violating the protection order, Woodruff said. On Dec. 18, police filed an affidavit for a felony arrest warrant for William Fredrick after he allegedly broke into his estranged wife's house and accessed a dating website on her computer. Police hadn't received any of those warrants at the time of the shooting, the chief said.

"If we had found him, we would have arrested him on probable cause," Woodruff said. "We wouldn't have waited for the warrant, especially with his history. I really don't know what more we could have done. We responded every time."

Officers would park their cars and walk to Sheila Fredrick's house in hopes of catching William Fredrick, but they were unsuccessful, Woodruff said.

"It's a tragedy," he said.

Metro on 12/25/2014

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