Police confirm Petaluma man fatally shot wife, himself

A Petaluma man shot his wife and then himself after leaving behind a note and other items for family to find after their deaths, Petaluma police said.

An autopsy conducted Wednesday confirmed that Harold Coombes, 86, and his wife, Bertha Coombes, 83, each died of a single gunshot wound, Sgt. Ed Crosby said.

A relative found the couple at about 12:25 p.m. Tuesday when she stopped by the residence at the Petaluma Estates mobile home park on North McDowell Boulevard.

Harold Coombes had clearly planned the shooting and had set out items for their family members to find, Crosby said. He used a revolver and left behind a note.

However, Crosby said that investigators do not know if it was a fate the couple had agreed upon, or if Bertha Coombes was killed against her will.

“I don’t know we’ll be able to say she was participating or was aware of what he was going to do,” Crosby said.

The investigation is closed, in the sense that detectives are confident about who pulled the trigger and there is no suspect to face charges in the case. However, they have some additional work to do in order to more precisely identify a motive.

Neighbors said the couple moved into the park at least 10 years ago and that Bertha Coombes had been bedridden for some time and rarely left the home. Crosby said that the woman had a variety of medical issues.

You can reach Staff Writer ?Julie Johnson at 521-5220 or ?julie.johnson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @jjpressdem.