A Massillon woman who police say was shot by her husband at Akron General Medical Center Saturday night was declared brain dead at 10:20 a.m. Sunday.
The Summit County medical examiner will perform an autopsy on Barbara Wise, 65, who was in the hospital’s ICU unit when she was visited by her husband on Saturday.
Akron police Capt. Dan Zampelli said the attack may have been a mercy shooting.
“It seems to be slanting that way. He wanted to take away her suffering,” Zampelli said.
Hospital spokesman Jim Gosky said staff issued a “silver alert” — for “person with weapon” — after the patient was shot with a handgun. Unarmed hospital security and then Akron police responded. No one else was injured.
John Wise was taken to the Summit County Jail and is being charged by Akron police with attempted aggravated murder.
He will be arraigned this morning, Zampelli said.
The department will consult with other officials about the possibility of changing the charges.
The couple, who had been married 45 years, lived in a two-unit home on Hawthorne Avenue Northeast.
Barbara Wise had been admitted to the ICU several days earlier.
