An Iraq war veteran who returned to Fort Carson in late July apparently killed his wife and then himself Wednesday afternoon at their home north of Fort Collins, Fort Carson officials said Thursday.
Pfc. Stephen S. Sherwood of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team was on a 30-day leave after serving with the brigade in Baghdad and Ramadi for the past year.
Larimer County sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of shots fired at his home Wednesday at 3:45 p.m.
After evacuating the neighborhood and securing the area, a SWAT team entered the home about 9 p.m. and found the bodies of Sherwood, 35, and his wife, 30-year-old Sara E. Sherwood, officials said.
Larimer County investigators said they were investigating the possibility of a murder and suicide, but as of Thursday night the exact manner of death had not been confirmed, said sheriff’s spokeswoman Eloise Campanella.
A statement from Fort Carson – where Stephen Sherwood underwent a mental-health screening before he went home last month – said he “apparently shot his wife, then himself.”
“He was a stellar soldier; he did his job the way he was supposed to do his job,” said Lt. Col. Dave Johnson, Fort Carson spokesman. “He was a hero, and today is a sad day because we’ve gotten word that we have lost one of our heroes.”
Sherwood’s family and friends declined to comment Thursday. But they have set up a memorial fund for his 15-month-old daughter, Ripley Mae Flom-Sherwood, at Washington Mutual Bank in Fort Collins.
“This would not be something that would be expected of him,” said Sherwood’s ex-wife, Heather West, of Fort Collins. “He is a creative, thoughtful, very sensitive person.”
West, who was married to Sherwood for seven years but has been divorced from him for 10, added, “He’s always had a hard time finding peace in himself.”
She said she wouldn’t want anyone to think their divorce had anything to do with the incident, because “this is not a person that I knew.”
West said she feels for Sara and her family and their daughter.
“I just pray for them,” she said.
Sherwood and all soldiers returning from Iraq are required to self-report any problems on a post-deployment health assessment that asks a series of questions aimed at identifying depression and suicidal thoughts.
Steve Robinson, executive director of the Gulf War Resource Center, said the military should provide face-to-face mental- health screenings for soldiers upon their return and “not a paper questionnaire.”
“I don’t excuse any crimes that were committed,” Robinson said. “But I want to flip it around and say … what responsibility do we have as citizens who send people to go fight our wars? Do we do everything within our power, including moving mountains if that’s what it takes, to provide for their health when they come home?”
Robinson said 45 service members have committed suicide in Iraq since the war started and 35 more killed themselves after they came home.
Johnson said Fort Carson’s staff does a good job of screening soldiers and providing mental-health care.
He said it was “premature” to determine whether any of the screening processes for returning soldiers need to be changed.
“If there is a soldier that … may have a behavioral problem or may be a risk or concern,” he said, “we will hook them up with a health-care provider.”
Fort Carson will also bring in a family support group along with chaplains to help with grieving, he said.
The 2nd Brigade Combat Team has suffered some of the heaviest casualties in Iraq in Ramadi. The brigade has lost 68 soldiers in Ramadi.
Sherwood worked as a paramedic in Fort Collins for many years before joining the Army almost two years ago. He most recently worked for Poudre Valley Hospital Ambulance Service, said Jason Mantas, spokesman for the Poudre Fire Authority in Fort Collins.
“He was a really good guy and a good paramedic,” Mantas said.
Sherwood also was active in the local music scene and was involved with the heavy-metal band Immortal Dominion.
Staff writer Monte Whaley can be reached at 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com.
