TexasCHLforum.com

West Tisbury, Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.

Shooting of spouse deemed self-defense
March 27, 2012

A Martha's Vineyard woman whose estranged husband broke into her home and shot her in the torso acted in self-defense when she returned fire, shooting and killing the man on Friday, Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael O’Keefe said.

In a statement Monday, O’Keefe said Cynthia C. Bloomquist, 63, shot Kenneth R. Bloomquist, 64, in the chest after he broke in and assaulted her with a shotgun.

Just three weeks before the shooting, Cynthia Bloomquist was denied a restraining order against her estranged husband, who she believed was volatile and could act impulsively.

O’Keefe said his office plans no further action in the case.

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http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs. ... 96/-1/NEWS

The estranged husband shot his wife with a shotgun, in the chest, but it didn't kill her.

The above link notes that the husband came to his wife's home with both a shotgun and a small caliber handgun.
He shot her with the shotgun, then pulled out the handgun.
During the struggle, she gained control of the handgun, and shot him once in the chest.

This case seems pretty unique to me. For one thing, Mass. people are much less likely to have guns in their homes, than more 2A-friendly states.
However, to live on Martha's Vineyard Island (87 square miles and south of Cape Cod, Mass.), you have to have serious dollars. She was a 30 year
employee of MIT - Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her estranged husband owned an aerial photography company.

And although it just seems like common sense that she should not be prosecuted, it's not always the same common sense that applies in Mass. law.

We all know that restraining orders aren't worth the paper on which they're written, but in this case, the court wouldn't even give her that "feel good"
document.

SIA