Florida woman fatally shoots husband at a Daytona Beach hospital

A woman in Florida fatally shot her husband in a Daytona Beach hospital on Saturday.

Ellen Gilland, 76, told officers that her 77-year-old husband Jerry Gilland had been ill for some time and they had agreed to “end it” should his health get worse, Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari E. Young said in a news conference.

The man intended to kill himself but, was physically too weak to carry out his plan, police said. 

The woman refused to come out after carrying out the murder-suicide agreement at about 11:30 a.m. Police officers had to negotiate with her before she opened the door at about 3:30 p.m.

Gilland who indented to take her own life after, said she "couldn't go through with it," according to Young.

Apart from the terminally-ill man who was killed, no one else was wounded. Part of the hospital was evacuated and some doctors, nurses and others took cover in locked closets and rooms.

Keeping other patients on the 11th floor, where the hostage situation took place, was a "logistical nightmare" as many patients were on ventilators and could not be easily evacuated.

The woman is in custody and could be awaiting a first-degree murder charge, according to Young.

"She's very sad, it's a tough situation," Young said.

It's unclear how the woman entered the hospital with a gun and if the hospital had a metal detection security system. The exact gun used in the shooting also remains unclear.