Woman shot dead by estranged husband near Atwater, deputies say

MERCED COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- A homicide investigation is underway after Merced County sheriff's deputies say a woman was shot and killed by her estranged husband. It happened Saturday at a home on Franklin Road near Cardella Road; that's outside the city of Atwater.

Deputies came up on a tense scene at that home, where a family barbeque was going on. There they found a 60-year-old man detained by family members, who authorities were still trying to identify late Saturday night. He has been arrested, but has not yet been booked into jail.

Deputies say it was during this family gathering that there was an altercation that led to the man shooting his estranged wife. It's not clear if they were at the party together, or if the suspect arrived there without an invitation.

Authorities haven't released the victim's name or age, but say she was taken to a hospital in Merced, where she died at around 6:15 p.m.

Detectives are still investigating the shooting and have a lot of witness interviews to conduct. They estimate 15 to 20 people were there at the time of the shooting.

The suspect was being interviewed by major crimes detectives. They will be able to release his name once he has been booked.