Man shoots at wife, then kills self near Rice Lake, Wis.

By TIM HARLOW, Star Tribune

Last update: January 2, 2009 - 11:46 PM

The new year got off to a harrowing start for a Wisconsin woman whose husband fired a gun at her early Thursday and then fatally shot himself, the Barron County Sheriff's Department said.

The man identified as Gerald Krohn fired two shots at the woman around 5:55 a.m. inside a residence on the 2300 block of 23rd Avenue near Rice Lake, Wis.

Margret Krohn barricaded herself in a bathroom and called 911. She then heard another shot, said Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald.

Members of the Barron County Emergency Response Team gained entry to the house about 4 1/2 hours later and escorted Margret Krohn out of the house. She was not injured.

Team members found Gerald Krohn, 63, in the bedroom with a gunshot wound to the head.

The Wisconsin State Patrol and the sheriff's department blocked off Hwy. 48 east of Rice Lake for about four hours during the incident.

The case is under investigation.