- Rita King, 81, allegedly shot in De La Mer House in Essex by her husband
- Ronald King, 86, remains in custody on suspicion of murder of his spouse
- Gun 'believed to be illegally held' and revolver was recovered from scene
- The victim was shot in a communal area and staff disarmed the shooter
By Thomas Burrows and Joseph Curtis For Mailonline
An elderly dementia patient was shot dead in her care home by her one-armed husband who was staying with her over Christmas.
Rita King, 81, was gunned down in front of frail residents by spouse Ronald, 86, who mumbled 'she has had enough' before pulling the trigger.
The couple are understood to be childless and the strain of looking after his wife had taken its toll on Mr King.
One neighbour said he simply 'could not cope', while another said he was 'under great stress'.
Questions were raised over how Mr King, who has been arrested on suspicion of murder, was able to smuggle a firearm and live ammunition into the secure care home inside De La Mer House in Walton-on-the-Naze, in Essex.
It remains unclear how he got the weapon, although some locals believe it was his old army service revolver.
Julie Curtis, manager at the £30,000-a-year De La Mer House home, gave a dramatic account of how she disarmed Mr King after the shooting at 9am.
Mrs Curtis, who has run the residential home for two years, said: 'This morning he came towards us with the gun and the woman was shot.'
She put her arm around the man and pleaded for him to drop the weapon.
She said: 'I put my left arm around him and put his right arm between him and the gun and said 'please, please give me the gun', and he let go.'
Mrs Curtis said at first she had not realised the gun was real or if anybody had been injured.
'He came towards me with the gun, my first thought was that it wasn't real, but then my next thought was trying to stop him hurting my residents,' she said.
No other people were in the vicinity of the alleged attack when it took place, Mrs Curtis said, adding staff had dealt with the situation 'brilliantly'.
She added: 'It's a shock - I cannot believe it happened at a residential care home.
'Our staff have been brilliant, staying calm and speaking to the residents who live here. Under the circumstances, everyone is coping very well.'
Essex police have confirmed a revolver has been recovered from the scene which will be examined by forensic and ballistic experts. Detectives are not looking for any other weapons or suspects in connection with the murder inquiry.
The couple are understood to have moved from London to a semi-detached bungalow in the town 18 months ago.
But Mrs King started to become unsteady on her feet and moved into the care home six months ago. Mr King visited her twice a week and was staying with her for a week when he shot her.
Neighbour Maureen Thornton, 67, said: 'He was living there for Christmas. All I can say is he was a perfectly nice normal man to say hello to.
'God knows where he got the gun from. He was only a little thing and had part of his arm missing.
‘We thought that perhaps he had a military background but he never told us that. We are wondering now if he still had his service revolver.'
Stella Bone, 78, whose house overlooks the house where the Kings lived, said: 'I used to see Ronald out in the garden. He only has one arm - on the other side it's only up to his elbow.
'I always smiled because he always used to be out in the garden holding a watering can in that arm. It was remarkable. Ron's walking was very bad. You can see their windows from mine.'
Detective Chief Inspector Simon Werrett, who is leading the investigation, said: 'At this stage we are not looking for anyone else in connection with the investigation and our inquiries are ongoing.'
A scene guard was put in place at the premises while forensic searches were conducted.
Police said the victim was declared dead at the scene at about 9am.
BANNED: THE UK HAS SOME OF THE STRICTEST GUN LAWS IN THE WORLD
The possession of guns in the UK is prohibited under the Firearms Act, which was extended to include almost all handguns after the Dunblane massacre in 1996.
Guns banned by the act include fully automatic weapons such as submachine guns, semi-automatic rifles and pistols, although some weapons can be kept legally by obtaining a firearm certificate.
To get a certificate a person must apply through their local police force and supply references, and you must prove to the chief officer that you would not pose any danger to the public.
Certificates are usually valid for five years before they must be renewed, but they can apply to multiple firearms.
Such licences apply to handguns and semi-automatic weapons but certificates cannot be obtained for machine guns, which require explicit permission from the Home Office to own.
Shotguns with a capacity of up to three rounds have less stringent rules around them but require shotgun certificates to possess, which also require police permission.
There are some exceptions including revolver pistols that are legal for the express purpose of the humane putting down of animals.
Firearm certificates are also required to buy live ammunition rounds.
The penalty for possessing a firearm illegally is up to 14 years in prison and an unlimited fine.
Exceptions to the ban include starter pistols for races and engraved or jewelled guns.
Speaking outside the care home this afternoon, DCI Simon Werrett said the shooting took place in one of the home's communal areas.
He added: 'It is an unusual investigation. Both parties involved are residents in the care home.
'We are speaking with members of staff to find out if they witnessed any unusual behaviour this morning.
'The weapon has been recovered from the man's possession. Members of staff stepped in to remove the weapon from the man.'
He added: 'The residents are shaken up but the care home are managing. Obviously we're trying to make it as easy for them to continue on as possible. It was in one part of the care home so life can go on for the other residents.
'Families can still visit the care home and it will run as normally, but they will need to contact the care home itself.
'Hopefully the care home can run as smoothly as possible under the circumstances.'
Nearby resident John Knights said security was tight at the care home.
Mr Knights, whose wife Marlene runs the Bucket and Spade guest house a short distance from Delamer House, said: 'My mother had to go into De La Mer about two years ago and I can tell you that it was quite tricky to get in and out of there.
'Security was tight. You couldn't just go up to the building and get in.
'You needed a security code to get in. It had electronic key pads on the door, so to get inside you needed to know those.
'Whoever was responsible must have known the code.'
Peter Welsh, 62, who lives opposite the care home, said: 'We've been talking here and asking ourselves: "How in the world could someone get a gun in there?"'
'With the age of the man, it’s got to be something left over from the Second World War. It’s a huge shock to everyone. You don’t expect it in Walton of all places.'
His next-door neighbour Eric Moseley, 69, said he heard 'two or three bangs' this morning, but put it down to military testing on nearby MoD land.
He said: 'I did hear two or three bangs. Now, that makes sense, it was probably the gun.
'But I put it down to the testing we hear quite often. To be honest, the first I really knew of it was when five police cars, two ambulances and one paramedic car turned up. I knew it was serious then.'
Douglas Carswell, the Ukip MP for the area, said he was 'very shocked' by the news, adding that Walton-on-the-Naze was usually a peaceful place.
He said: 'It's very shocking. If you have got a loved one in a care home, you expect them to be safe.
'People need to know the exact circumstances of what happened, it is extremely disturbing.
'Walton-on-the-Naze is supposed to be one of the most peaceful and tranquil places there is - elderly people want to be in a peaceful and tranquil environment.
'Of all the places you expect this to happen, this is the last.'
He added: 'Something has clearly gone wrong that someone has been able to bring a gun capable of doing some damage into a care home. It really beggars belief.'
Detectives from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate are conducting the murder inquiry.
The home has 57 residents and mainly looks after people with dementia.
Residents pay up to £575 a week for their care and the home - one of many in the town - received a glowing report from the Care Quality Commission who carried out an inspection last year.
The report concluded: 'People were cared for in an environment that was safe, clean and hygienic. The appropriate recruitment checks had been completed prior to staff being employed. Staff had received appropriate training and guidance.
'Records contained detailed assessments of people's needs that had been carried out prior to them moving to the service. This ensured that the staff had the relevant skills and knowledge required to meet the individual's identified needs.'
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Essex Police on 101.
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