Police: Man Uses Nail Gun to Kill Wife, Then Himself

[HL. Ward]

Police: Man Used Nail Gun to Kill Wife

Police: Man, 77, Killed Wife, Then Himself, With Commercial-Grade Nail Gun

The Associated Press

STAFFORD TOWNSHIP, N.J.

A 77-year-old man killed his wife and then himself with a commercial-grade nail gun, police said Tuesday.

Police said they don't yet know why James B. Tompkinson, a retired teacher, would kill his 67-year-old wife, Susan.

A relative who went to their home Monday evening found them and called

911.

When police arrived, Susan Tompkinson was dead of head and chest trauma and her husband was badly injured. He died Tuesday morning.

Police Lt. Thomas Dellane said there was no history of police calls to the couple's home.

[efgh]

[Lee]

Bet that it didn't have a warning label about using it for that purpose or

6 pages in the user manual.

[Leif Thorvaldson]

of banned weapons!!

Leif

[Mortimer Schnerd, RN]

You could tack this one up to depression.

[marc rosen]

Very slightly related; One of the grad students in my lab loaned me his finish nailer so i could complete a job at home that required nailing trim boards between my rafters where they connect to the main beam of my house. I tested the nailer in my garage first and discovered that it will fire its nails without the driver contact being made. It would stick a nail in pine at least four feet from the gun. I immediately unhooked it and returned it to the kid Just did not want to take a chance with an errant firing, especially ten feet up. Marc (PS That "nailed this one down" comment was unexpected and very funny.)

[Allen Roy]

I wonder if there will be a big spike in this type of murder/suicide.

Allen

[tom]

Just treat every gun as if it had no safety. You'll be okay. Tom

[Unquestionably Confused]

Ouch! THAT's depressing

I recall a local yute (think "My Cousin Vinny") who fried a few too many brain cells (jerk never had all that many working to begin with) and threatened suicide a couple three times. Parents turned all his firearms over to the police but apparently forgot he was working as a contractor.

They found him out in the garage, laying against the wall with a nice, neat hole in his forehead and a rather large spike in his brain.

Laying next to the body was a commercial grade Hilti stud gun. Took a max load driver cartridge, a big ass concrete nail and a lot of willpower to hold that sucker against his head and fire away.

Talk about wanting to die in the worst way... Gotta be pretty close to that goal.

[Mortimer Schnerd, RN]

I can hear him now: "I need this job like I need a hole in my head. I've got half a mind to quit!".

[Lee Michaels]

"HL. Ward" wrote

Just don't let Sarah Brady find out about this!!

She will trot out some kind of statistic that all crimes are related to nail guns.

[Dave Gordon]

Womdering what nails would be the best for that application. Finish nails or wire nails? 4 inch ringshank? Galvanised or stainless?

[Robatoy]

He likely did it on 'Impulse' (Paslode joke)

[mac davis]

Maybe he was out having a few adult beverages and one of his friends suggested that he go home and "nail the wife"???

Please remove splinters before emailing

[Doug Miller]

So you're saying that first he got hammered, then she got nailed -- ?

[Hoosierpopi]

No, she got hammered, then he got nailed

[mac davis]

I think you got the point, Doug...

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

[Doug Miller]

No, *she* did.

[noreaster]

Now you'll need to get a license to buy a battery operated nail gun plus a

10 day waiting period.