Police say Dawn Kelly was found with a gunshot wound to the chest in the master bedroom of her home in Bellmore just before 8:30 p.m.
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Her 54-year-old husband, Douglas Kelly, was found with a gunshot wound to the head in the bedroom of the couple's 21-year-old daughter.
Authorities believe the incident was the result of a domestic dispute. There were no prior calls to police, but family members say Douglas Kelly had been verbally abusive for years.
"His behavior in the past with her, very verbally abusive," Nassau County police Detective Lieutenant Stephen Fitzpatrick said. "Nobody ever realized there was any physical abuse going on."
Dawn Kelly worked in IT for a large insurance company in Long Beach. Douglas Kelly was a tile cutter who had not worked in 20 years due to disability.
Police say Dawn Kelly called her daughter around 6:30 p.m. and told her not to come home because they were arguing.
"Explained to her that her father and her were having a violent disturbance, argument, not physical at that time," Fitzpatrick said. "She told her to stay somewhere else that night."
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But the daughter became worried, so she went home and found them both deceased.
Douglas Kelly reportedly bought the shotgun legally a couple of years ago. Neighbors say he raced cars and was loud.
"He had a big temper," neighbor John Hoffmann said. "I mean, he was annoying with a lot of people around here, because he was always racing his cars."
Authorities said that car racing hobby was costly.
"Apparently that was the cause of the fight, was money issues," Fitzpatrick said. "He was asking the wife, who's the main breadwinner now, for money."
Those who knew the family but didn't realize the scope of the problems were stunned and saddened by the outcome, especially for the daughter whose worst nightmare became a reality.
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"To lose both parents in one shot, to me, is just crazy," area business owner Anthony Borja said. "It's crazy."
At a press conference, police urged any victims of domestic abuse to contact police or domestic abuse support hotlines at 516-542-0404 or (Bilingual) 516-889-2849.
Douglas Kelly had a prior arrest for assault with a weapon in a burglary years ago that was adjudicated.
The investigation is ongoing.