Daytona Beach cops: Iraqi war vet shoots and kills wife with a rifle and then himself in murder-suicide

Jamesand Tiffany PembertonCourtesy photo / Tiffany and James Pembertonlived in Daytona Beach about a year. Both were found dead Sunday in their Breakers apartment, victims of an apparent murder-suicide.

DAYTONA BEACH -- An Iraqi war veteran shot and killed his wife and then turned a rifle on himself in a murder-suicide over the weekend, Daytona Beach police said.

The wife was identified as Tiffany Pemberton, 25, and the husband, Jason Pemberton, 28. Both were found in their residence at 778 Jimmy Ann Drive No. 1614.

"The preliminary investigation revealed that the male shot the female and then turned the rifle on himself," Daytona Beach police spokesman Jimmy Flynt said. "One neighbor advised that he heard two gunshots around 9:30 (Saturday night and) another advised gunshots around 6:30 (Saturday) night.

Police estimated the killings occurred about 6:49 p.m. Saturday. But the cops were not called until Sunday afternoon when one of the neighbors who heard the gunshots Saturday night saw the dead couple's dog on the balcony, which was unusual, Flynt said.

The Pemberton's had been living at the Jimmy Ann residence for about a year. The wife was from Alabama and the husband from North Carolina and was an Iraqi war veteran. Police do not know definitively what sparked the murder-suicide.