Update: Police Identify Victims in Apparent Murder-Suicide at The Village at Rockville

Update, 5:20 p.m., Oct. 24:

Lawrence Bradshaw, CEO of National Lutheran Communities & Services, released the following statement on the organization’s website Monday afternoon after police identified the victims of Monday morning’s apparent murder-suicide as Sandra Ballard, 74, and Albert Ballard, 80, both of the 14000 block of Parkvale Road in Rockville:

“First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers go out to the family members affected by this tragedy earlier this morning. Our community is mourning the loss of a rehabilitation patient and her husband. The Village at Rockville, A National Lutheran Community, is a safe environment and we are taking every precaution necessary to keep it that way.

This is an ongoing police investigation and we are working closely with local authorities.

This is an unfortunate and isolated incident that began at 9:30 a.m. this morning. The husband of a patient receiving sub-acute rehabilitation services entered the building and signed in to visit his wife, as he regularly did.”

In a statement released to media, Bradshaw added: “At 9:35 a.m. shot(s) were heard and staff discovered the husband and wife deceased. Authorities and emergency responders were immediately notified.”

The Village at Rockville is offering its residents and staff access to onsite grief counselors and chaplains, the website said.

“We will keep you updated as more information becomes available,” the site said. “Please be assured that the safety and well-being of our residents is our highest priority.”

Family members seeking information can call 301-424-9560.

Updated, 4 p.m., Oct. 24:

County police have identified the victims of Monday morning’s apparent murder-suicide at The Village at Rockville as Sandra Ballard, 74, and Albert Ballard, 80, both of the 14000 block of Parkvale Road in Rockville.

The victims were found dead in Sandra Ballard’s room at the assisted living home, where she was a patient, police said in a news release.

Detectives recovered a firearm that is believed to be the weapon used, the release said.

The circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation, the release said. Police are investigating the incident as a murder-suicide, but have not yet identified who fired the shots.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the county police department’s Major Crimes Division at 240-773-5070.

Original post, 2 p.m., Oct. 24:

This article has been corrected from its original version. An explanation appears below the article.

Montgomery County Police are investigating an apparent murder-suicide involving a married couple on Monday morning at the The Village at Rockville, formerly the National Lutheran Home in Rockville.

Police received a call around 10 a.m. for a shooting at the assisted care facility at 9701 Veirs Drive, near Lakewood Country Club, said Officer Rebecca Innocenti, a county police spokeswoman.

WUSA9 reported that a man checked in around 9:30 a.m. to visit his wife, who was a rehabilitation patient. A nurse heard shots fired and found the man and his wife dead in the wife’s room, WUSA9 reported.

Innocenti confirmed that the woman was a short-term rehabilitation resident at the home and that the shooting involved the woman and her husband.

Family members of the victims have been notified, Innocenti said. The victims' identities are expected to be released later today.

Lawrence Bradshaw, CEO of National Lutheran Communities & Services, released the following statement on the home’s website:

“At approximately 10:00 a.m on Monday, October 24, 2011, the husband of a patient receiving rehabilitation services entered The Village at Rockville to visit his wife. A nurse heard shots fired and discovered the husband and wife deceased.

This is a terrible tragedy and we have contacted the family and are grieving deeply for their loss. Our immediate concern is the well-being of the family, our community and our staff. We take the security of our residents and families very seriously and believe this is an isolated incident. We are fully cooperating with local authorities.

We will keep you updated as more information becomes available. Please be assured that the safety and well-being of our residents is our highest priority.”

Family members of residents can call 301-424-9560 for more information.

The original version of this article stated that police had identified the husband as the shooter. As of 3:15 p.m., police have not released who shot whom. Patch regrets the error.