Mich. Nursing Student Is Killed by Doctor Ex in Murder-Suicide: 'Extraordinary Young Woman'
Gina Bryant, 25, was shot and killed by her ex-boyfriend Justin Wendling, 26, police say
A Michigan woman was fatally shot by her ex-boyfriend who later turned the gun on himself Friday, the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office says in a release.
Gina Bryant, 25, was last seen Oct. 12. Co-workers became concerned when she never returned after a lunch break and they began receiving “odd” texts from her phone, according to the sheriff’s office.
Police say Bryant returned home for lunch and her ex-boyfriend, Justin Wendling, 26, was waiting for her. The sheriff’s office says video surveillance showed Wendling leading Bryant to his car.
The next day, Bryant’s parents received a call from Wendling, who stated that he had killed Bryant and intended to kill himself, police say.
Surveillance video showed that Wendling shot and killed Bryant at a truck stop in LaSalle, Ill. at about midnight Oct. 13, police say. Wendling then fled to Iowa, where he fatally shot himself in the head when approached by local officers, the sheriff’s office says.
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The Detroit News spoke to Bryant’s sister Angelica Gintner, who said her sister had lived with Wendling before moving out in September and that he had been abusing her for months.
“She was very beautiful, down-to-earth, giving woman," Gintner said of her sister. "She could brighten up a day with just her smile. She'd give you the shirt off your back. She was caring and compassionate.”
Bryant had been studying nursing at the University of Michigan-Flint at the time of her death and Wendling was a doctor in Flint, The News reported.
The News also reported that the dean of the School of Nursing at the University of Michigan-Flint sent an email to colleagues of Bryant.
"Gina was an extraordinary young woman with much ahead of her," McCurren reportedly wrote.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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