Police Officer, 26, Kills Wife, Self in Highland

A veteran San Bernardino police officer fatally shot his wife before killing himself Tuesday morning at the couple’s home in Highland, authorities said.

A motive for the 4:30 a.m. shootings is being investigated, said Chip Patterson, spokesman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.

The gunman, Paul Gumbert, 26, did not have any previous problems with the law, Patterson said.

“I don’t know if we’ll know why it happened,” said Patterson. “It’s a shock and surprise to all of us.”

After receiving a 911 call, authorities found Gumbert, a seven-year veteran and patrol officer for the San Bernardino Police Department, and his 26-year-old wife, Sarah, suffering from gunshot wounds in a bedroom of their home in the 28900 block of Oak Hill Lane.

No one else was injured at the house, including the adult relative who made the 911 call, Patterson said. The couple’s two children are being cared for by family. Evidence at the scene indicated that Gumbert shot his wife and then himself, Patterson said.

Paramedics pronounced Sarah Gumbert dead at the scene. They transported Paul Gumbert by ambulance to Loma Linda Medical Center, where he died at 6 a.m.