MANCHESTER — State police said they are investigating the deaths of a married couple in the north end of town as an apparent murder-suicide case after receiving a call Saturday morning from the husband, who claimed to have killed his wife.

Clyde Shue, 82, of 543 Prescott Road, called police shortly before 8 a.m. to report that he had killed Kim Shue, 62, police said. That prompted state troopers and a state police tactical team to go to the residence to try to communicate with Clyde Shue.

State police tactical team members entered the house about 3 p.m. and found the bodies of both Shues inside, according to a news release from Steve McCausland, spokesman for the Department of Public Safety. Kim Shue’s body was found in her bed, and her husband’s was found in a mud room with a handgun at his side, according to McCausland.

“This is investigation is in early stages; we have called this a domestic violence homicide at this point,” said Lt. Jeff Love of the Maine State Police. “And we’re still attempting to gather information to figure exactly what caused this tragedy today.”

During the phone call that morning, Clybe Shue said a shooting had taken place, McCausland said. A police officer at the scene said the state medical examiner’s office would determine the causes of death after conducting autopsies.

Part of Prescott Road was shut down Saturday morning while state police surrounded the home. Manchester firefighters blocked westbound traffic’s access to Prescott Road at Puddledock Road. It remained closed at least until mid-afternoon.

Becky Stickney, who lives four houses away from the Shue home, said she could hear law enforcement officials using a bullhorn to try to communicate with someone in the house, but that ceased by 3 p.m. She also said she heard breaking glass shortly before then.

A Winthrop ambulance left the scene about 2:55 p.m. without its sirens on, and it was not clear whether anybody other than emergency workers was inside it.

A police spokesman said nobody else was in the house when police entered it.

Carl Lambert, who lives three houses away from the Shues, said he never would have imagined something like that happening in Manchester, let alone on his street. He said he did not know the couple, but he said a neighbor told him they’d lived at that residence for about five years.

“It was a shock, at first, because there’s a lot of kids around there,” Lambert said.

Stickney said she hopes it’s just an isolated incident because it’s “something unimaginable” that this would happen in Manchester. She also said she didn’t know Clyde or Kim Shue, but she said the couple had a dog that barked all the time. She said she didn’t hear the dog barking Saturday, and there was concern among neighbors that Clyde Shue might have done something to it. A police spokesman did not mention a dog during his remarks.

Prescott Road reopened just after 3 p.m. State troopers and tactical team members remained at the scene past 4 p.m. A police spokesman said detectives will remain at the scene to conduct interviews and gather evidence.

Jason Pafundi — 621-5663

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Twitter: @jasonpafundiKJ

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