Fayetteville police officer called 911 two days before murder-suicide
Police found Fayetteville police officer Domingo Tavarez-Rodriguez and his wife, Yenitza Arroyo Torres, dead on April 28 inside their home along Vandenberg Drive.
Two days before the murder-suicide, Tavarez-Rodriguez called 911, claiming his wife had "too much to drink."
"This is not an emergency, this is a call for service," he said to the 911 operator.
He said on the call that they had gone to the gas station and were eating dinner at home when he decided to call 911.
The only thing Tavarez-Rodriguez told the operator is that his wife was too drunk; he makes no mention of a domestic disturbance.
"I wouldn’t call it a disturbance; I just want to cover myself," Tavarez-Rodriguez said. "I just want to make sure that everything is settled."
The operator asked if they had access to any weapons. He said yes, they did have access to weapons, but said the weapons were locked in a safe.
Two days later, the couple was found shot to death in their home.
On April 28, a Fayetteville 911 operator contacted the Verizon security assistance team to request an emergency ping on a phone.
When asked if this involves danger of death, the operator responded, "Yes."
The operator said the emergency ping was in regard to "a subject who may be attempting to harm himself or his wife."
After Tavarez-Rodriguez failed to report for duty, officers went to his home to check on him.
A call was made on April 28, in which an officer requested to do a wellness check at the couple's home.
"I didn't want to call it over the radio because it's one of our officers," he said.
When the officers arrived, the couple was found dead inside their home.
According to the preliminary autopsy report from the medical examiner’s office, Torres died due to multiple gunshot wounds and Tavarez-Rodriguez died from a single gunshot wound.
Dennis Corbin, a neighbor and friend of the couple, said Tavarez-Rodriguez had PTSD from his time serving in the military.
Torres' daughter, Doris Rivera, said her mother knew her partner suffered from PTSD and had a drinking problem.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) is investigating the deaths of Tavarez-Rodriguez and Torres as a murder-suicide.
