A 76-year-old woman is behind bars in Volusia County after being accused of shooting and killing her terminally ill husband.Ellen Gilland faced a judge for the first time Sunday on several charges including first-degree murder.She’s being held on no bond.”Based upon the nature of the charge, Mrs. Gilland, I am going to hold you no bond on the murder charge and the remaining charges and then you’ll be set for a future court date,” said Judge Mary Jolley.Gilland also faces three counts of aggravated assault.Daytona Beach police responded to the shooting at AdventHealth Daytona Beach Saturday morning.According to police, responding officers said Gilland shot her husband, 77-year-old Jerry Gilland, and confined herself to his room.He was the only patient in the room, according to police.”Upon arrival, our officers were directed to the 11th floor, where they encountered an elderly female who had apparently shot her terminally ill husband,” Daytona Beach police Chief Jakari Young said at a news conference.Officers say staff and patients near the room were evacuated.No one else was injured.”At no time were any of the hospital staff threatened or any other patients,” Young said.Around 3 p.m. after negotiation, the wife was taken into custody.The Daytona Beach Police Department said an investigation revealed the couple, from New Smyrna Beach, planned this weeks ago.They say the pair made a pact to go through with a murder-suicide three weeks ago if the husband who was terminally ill continued to take a turn for the worse.”Apparently because he was terminally ill, they had a conversation about it and they actually planned this approximately three weeks ago that if he continued to take a turn for the worst that he wanted her to end this,” Young said. “Obviously, we’re unsure how she brought that gun into the hospital, but this was planned.”Police say the plan had been for the husband to do the shooting, but he was too weak.They got a call about the shooting around 11:30 a.m. Saturday and it took hostage negotiators hours before the woman was taken into custody.Meanwhile, the surrounding rooms had to be cleared in what police called a bit of a “logistical nightmare.””Because that 11th floor is made up of terminally ill patients, so pretty much all the patients on that floor are on ventilators,” Young said.He says they didn’t have room to evacuate the entire floor but says Gilland never left the room where the shooting happened.”She never put the gun down, so she never specifically made a threat that she was going to shoot any of us, but she never put the gun down,” Young said. “So we would have to assume that you know if we were to rush in there, we didn’t effectively communicate that it could have turned into a shootout situation.”So they used a device to distract her so she’d drop the gun.”It’s called a flash bang that the SWAT team uses,” Young said. “They use it. It just makes a loud noise it’s like a — pretty sure you’re familiar with that. So they flew in a flash bang to distract her and luckily it worked.”They also hit Gilland with a bean bag and she was ultimately taken into custody.”It’s a tough situation, so her husband (was) terminally ill, so she was already in a depressed state just based on her husband being terminally ill and knowing that the end was near,” Young said.She was at the Daytona Beach Police Department Saturday afternoon.The police chief says she’s being transported to the Volusia County Jail.Gilland is facing charges of first-degree premeditated murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.AdventHealth released a statement Saturday afternoon on the shooting.”We are devastated by the tragedy that unfolded at the AdventHealth Daytona Beach campus today, and our prayers are with those impacted. We are grateful for the Daytona Beach Police Department in helping ensure the safety of our patients, team members and visitors,” AdventHealth said in a statement.BELOW: Watch the full news conference with Daytona Beach police Top headlines:Woman killed crossing road in Volusia CountyKissimmee police: Twin brothers accused of robbery, sexual batteryDeputies: Woman arrested for shooting, killing Orange County mother buying food
A 76-year-old woman is behind bars in Volusia County after being accused of shooting and killing her terminally ill husband.
Ellen Gilland faced a judge for the first time Sunday on several charges including first-degree murder.
She’s being held on no bond.
“Based upon the nature of the charge, Mrs. Gilland, I am going to hold you no bond on the murder charge and the remaining charges and then you’ll be set for a future court date,” said Judge Mary Jolley.
Gilland also faces three counts of aggravated assault.
Daytona Beach police responded to the shooting at AdventHealth Daytona Beach Saturday morning.
According to police, responding officers said Gilland shot her husband, 77-year-old Jerry Gilland, and confined herself to his room.
He was the only patient in the room, according to police.
“Upon arrival, our officers were directed to the 11th floor, where they encountered an elderly female who had apparently shot her terminally ill husband,” Daytona Beach police Chief Jakari Young said at a news conference.
Officers say staff and patients near the room were evacuated.
No one else was injured.
“At no time were any of the hospital staff threatened or any other patients,” Young said.
Around 3 p.m. after negotiation, the wife was taken into custody.
The Daytona Beach Police Department said an investigation revealed the couple, from New Smyrna Beach, planned this weeks ago.
They say the pair made a pact to go through with a murder-suicide three weeks ago if the husband who was terminally ill continued to take a turn for the worse.
“Apparently because he was terminally ill, they had a conversation about it and they actually planned this approximately three weeks ago that if he continued to take a turn for the worst that he wanted her to end this,” Young said. “Obviously, we’re unsure how she brought that gun into the hospital, but this was planned.”
Police say the plan had been for the husband to do the shooting, but he was too weak.
They got a call about the shooting around 11:30 a.m. Saturday and it took hostage negotiators hours before the woman was taken into custody.
Meanwhile, the surrounding rooms had to be cleared in what police called a bit of a “logistical nightmare.”
“Because that 11th floor is made up of terminally ill patients, so pretty much all the patients on that floor are on ventilators,” Young said.
He says they didn’t have room to evacuate the entire floor but says Gilland never left the room where the shooting happened.
“She never put the gun down, so she never specifically made a threat that she was going to shoot any of us, but she never put the gun down,” Young said. “So we would have to assume that you know if we were to rush in there, we didn’t effectively communicate that it could have turned into a shootout situation.”
So they used a device to distract her so she’d drop the gun.
“It’s called a flash bang that the SWAT team uses,” Young said. “They use it. It just makes a loud noise it’s like a — pretty sure you’re familiar with that. So they flew in a flash bang to distract her and luckily it worked.”
They also hit Gilland with a bean bag and she was ultimately taken into custody.
“It’s a tough situation, so her husband (was) terminally ill, so she was already in a depressed state just based on her husband being terminally ill and knowing that the end was near,” Young said.
She was at the Daytona Beach Police Department Saturday afternoon.
The police chief says she’s being transported to the Volusia County Jail.
Gilland is facing charges of first-degree premeditated murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
AdventHealth released a statement Saturday afternoon on the shooting.
“We are devastated by the tragedy that unfolded at the AdventHealth Daytona Beach campus today, and our prayers are with those impacted. We are grateful for the Daytona Beach Police Department in helping ensure the safety of our patients, team members and visitors,” AdventHealth said in a statement.
BELOW: Watch the full news conference with Daytona Beach police
Top headlines:
Leave a Reply