The husband of an airman at Hurlburt Field in Florida shot and injured his wife and then died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in an incident of domestic violence Friday.
Elliott Axeichik, a civilian, was declared dead at the scene, Hurlburt said in a release Sunday evening. His wife, Airman 1st Class Kimberly Axeichik, was taken to a hospital for her gunshot wound and is now stable and recovering.
The shooting prompted a lockdown on base after it was reported at 4:28 p.m. Friday, Hulrburt said. After security forces and local law enforcement secured the scene, the lockdown was lifted at 5:55 p.m.
Axeichik is a member of the 1st Special Operations Wing.
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Col. Jocelyn Schermerhorn, commander of the 1st SOW, expressed her condolences to all affected in a post on social media.
“The 1st Special Operations Wing does not condone domestic violence,” Schermerhorn said in the Friday Facebook post. “We constantly work to mitigate this needless violence through our on-base resources and programs that are offered to all Hurlburt Field members. I greatly appreciate the outstanding response by our defenders, medics, and the Okaloosa County Sheriffs. I am thankful to the community for your continued support of our airmen and families during this time.”
The Air Force Office of Special Investigations is investigating the shooting, Hurlburt said.
Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.
