An argument between an active duty military service couple escalated to gunshots as partygoers grabbed the couple's children and ran, according to local news reports.
Jordan Mykol Henning, 33, allegedly shot his 32-year-old wife Ashley multiple times as her birthday party wound down Monday, Lt. Col. David Lee of the Hardin County, Kentucky Sheriff's Office said without going into details about what sparked the dispute.
Rineyville neighbors reportedly tried to calm the couple, but when gunshots rang out, neighbors grabbed the couple's children and fled, Lee said, according to a report from The News-Enterprise.
Jordan left the scene in a "hurried manner" and drove off while his wife bled out from "multiple gunshot wounds," the sheriff said, according to the local news report.
TRIPLE-MURDER SUSPECT PACES DURING ARRAIGNMENT IN RANDOM HOME INVASION
Ashley was rushed to the hospital, where she died.
Deputies found Jordan about a mile from his home making "numerous utterances apologizing for hurting his wife," The News-Enterprise reported based on the arrest citation.
"You feel for the kids and her, because it's supposed to be a celebration of her life, her birthday, and she loses her life on her birthday, and the kids are without their mother," Lee told WLKY.
Jordan was arrested and charged with murder – domestic violence, which is punishable by 20 to 50 years or life in prison. He was arraigned in Hardin District Court on Tuesday.
He pleaded not guilty, and the judge set bond at $1 million.
The couple were both active-duty military service members based at Fort Knox.
A media relations officer with Fort Knox confirmed that Jordan is a staff sergeant stationed at the post and is assigned to the First Army Division East.
While post officials were unable to release or confirm the name of the victim, they did say she was a soldier with U.S. Army Human Resources Command and was also stationed at Fort Knox.
Henning is scheduled to return to court on Friday.
The investigation is ongoing, according to the sheriff’s office, which is working with the Commonwealth Attorney's office and the Criminal Investigation Division at Fort Knox.
