An Omaha man is speaking out after the mother of his two children was shot and killed in a murder-suicide near 134th and Meredith Tuesday night. Chris Hove and Ashley Stephens kids are five and four year old.
Tuesday he found out Stephens had been killed. Wednesday he had to tell both of the kids their mother had died.
"I'm still in shock ...I mean 28 years old. You don't assume that's the news you're going to get that particular day," Hove told 6 News.
Douglas County Sheriff's investigators believe Stephens was shot to death Tuesday by current boyfriend, 61-year-old Jonathan Hartley. Hartley then turned the gun on himself moments later. He died Wednesday night at the Nebraska Medical Center.
Hove says Stephens had told him before about Hartley's depression, but after asking questions felt safe when his kids would go to visit.
Hove has custody of the children. He told 6 News they should have been with Stephens and Hartley the night of the shooting, but because of the recent snowstorm, they had already spent a week with her. Hove kept the kids that night to give Stephens some extra time off.
"That look on my son's face when he realized what it meant and that he's never going to see mom again. I don't ever want to see that face again, from anybody." Said Hove.
Hove said this opens a larger conversation about mental health, and knows after this his children will always be able to come to him with any problem.