A Vestavia Hills police officer killed during a domestic dispute in his Gardendale apartment was found gravely wounded in the back of his walk-in closet with a gunshot wound to the top of his head, a detective testified on Monday.

Andrew Wade “Andy” Kimbrel, 42, died in the early May 3, hours after police say his wife shot him. Stephanie Nicole Keller, 43, is charged with murder in her husband’s death.

Details in the killing were made public Monday for the first time, emerging in a preliminary hearing to determine whether there was enough probable cause for the intentional murder charge against Keller to proceed to a grand jury. Gardendale police Det. Kyle Pannell was the lone witness in hour-long hearing, chronicling what the suspect, as well as Kimbrel’s daughter, told police about what happened that night in their home.

The shooting happened just before 11 p.m. that Thursday at Kimbrel’s home at Woodbrook Apartments. Kimbrel’s daughter and Keller’s son – both young teens – were home at the time and in their own bedrooms.

Police arrived on the scene after Keller called 911, and they found the critically wounded Kimbrel in the corner of the master bedroom closet.

The detective testified that there was a pool of blood surrounding a laundry basket and said there was also blood spatter on the walls.

The couple, Pannell testified, were arguing over Keller joining a gym and hiring a personal trainer without telling him. They also argued over finances in general, he said.

Keller’s son told police he was asleep the entire time and did not hear or see anything. The victim’s daughter, however, told detectives that the couple fought constantly but said that night was more severe than normal.

Kimbrel’s daughter was so frightened, Pannell testified, that she locked her bedroom door, and used Snapchat to reach out to her grandfather to come get her.

At some point, she told investigators, she heard her father say something similar to, “If you think I’m such a bad person, why don’t you just shoot me?” She said Keller replied, “Give me your gun.”

The daughter said she next heard a loud “pop,” and then heard Keller say, “Oh my God, Andy, wake up.’’

The daughter stayed locked in her room until Gardendale police arrived on the scene.

Pannell testified that both children were interviewed by detectives, and later by specialists at the Prescott House, a child advocacy center that works with law enforcement. He said Keller, too, was interviewed for hours by investigators after waiving her rights.

Pannell said the couple had argued, then gone to bed, and then argued again. Pannell said Keller made a phone call to a relative during which she said something like, “If he thinks he’s going to kick me out of my home…”

At that point, Kimbrel got out of bed and walked down the hall with Keller following him. He then walked back into the bedroom and entered the closet, again with Keller close behind.

Keller told detectives that as the argument continued, Kimbrel pulled his service weapon out of a bag where he kept his police gear. She said he “shoved” it into her hand, and the gun discharged. Pannell said Keller changed the story several times to include them struggling over the gun.

Other inconsistencies, he testified, included her saying she dropped the gun immediately after it fired, then saying she held it for a few seconds, and then later saying she placed the gun next to her wounded husband. After police said they found a bloody handprint on the toilet seat, Keller admitted to them that she had washed her hands before police arrived.

Pannell testified that Keller told investigators that she and her husband fought often, but initially said it had never gotten physical. A relative told police that Keller had once grabbed Kimbrel by the throat and pushed him against the wall, which she later acknowledged. She told police he had not physically assaulted her, and the detective testified that she showed no signs of injury when she was interviewed in the hours immediately after the deadly shooting.

According to the autopsy, Pannell testified, Kimbrel was shot close to the top of his head in a downward trajectory. Kimbrel was pronounced dead at UAB Hospital in the predawn hours of that Friday.

The preliminary hearing was held before Jefferson County District Judge Alaric May. Jefferson County assistant district attorneys Will McComb and Darius Crayton are prosecuting the case. Defense attorneys Wilson Myers and Rebecca Hyche are defending Keller.

The defense attorneys argued that the case does not meet the elements that apply to the charge of intentional murder. Prosecutors disagreed, and the judge agreed with prosecutors, sending the case on the grand jury. Keller remains out of jail on $100,000 bond.

Keller left the courtroom without giving any comment, but Myers spoke briefly with reporters.

“This is the first phase in a long process. Ms. Keller is charged with intentional murder and we don’t believe the facts of the case justify and intentional murder charge,’’ Myers said. “There are two sides, of course, and plan to present a very vigorous defense at the trial later on.”

“She’s devastated by what happened,’’ he said. “Yes, they had some challenges in their marriage, but she certainly never intended for anything like this to happen.”