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Fort Benning soldier's wife accused of fatally shooting him with shotgun

Court documents say he filed an emergency protection of abuse order against her days before the shooting.
Credit: Lee County Sheriff's Office via WSFA

PHENIX CITY, Ala. (AP) - An Alabama woman is accused of fatally shooting her husband, who was a soldier at Fort Benning.

News outlets report 27-year-old Brittnay Ryals Paonessa was charged with murder Friday. The Lee County Sheriff's Office says 26-year-old Brandyn Paonessa suffered a shotgun wound to the abdomen Thursday afternoon in the front yard of a home. Medics pronounced him dead at the scene.

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Court documents say Brandyn Paonessa had filed an emergency protection of abuse order Monday against Brittnay Paonessa. The filing states the soldier was concerned about his wife's mental health and says she refused to get treatment from a rehabilitation center.

Fort Benning officials say Brandyn Paonessa was an infantryman who had served in the Army since Sept. 2013.

It is unclear whether Brittnay Paonessa had an attorney who could comment.

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