A Spanish Fort woman was shot to death Sunday night, police say, by her ex-husband before the U.S. Border Patrol agent turned the gun fatally on himself outside her residence.

Shortly before 10 p.m. on Sunday, June 30, Spanish Fort Police received a call of shots fired at 10 Sailors Cove. Once officers arrived on scene, they discovered the two who had been shot. While the male was deceased, first responders attempted life-saving measures on the female, ultimately unsuccessful as she passed on site, Spanish Fort Police Chief John Barber told Gulf Coast Media.

They have been identified as Kerri and Michael Settle. According to reports, Michael Settle — who had established a separate residence in Spanish Fort Estates as a result of their January divorce, only a handful of blocks away from the scene — crashed into a parked vehicle upon arrival at Kerri Settle's home and made entrance. An escalated struggle ensued inside, which included Michael Settle "busting down a bedroom door," per Barber.

Barber said police gathered the woman attempted to escape by exiting the home into the front yard, where Barber stated neighbors witnessed the man fire a shot into the victim, proceed to lean over her with his final words and fire another shot to end his own life.

"It's the worst case of domestic violence you could imagine," Barber said.

Barber also said law enforcement is still unaware of what exactly caused the outburst and remains unsure we'll ever know, although the department is still searching to uncover the root of the episode.

"We know that domestic violence is prevalent no matter what community that you live in," Barber said. "It is certainly something that's going on everywhere, but we had no previous calls of domestic violence there at that residence."

Kerri Settle was a 48-year-old career educator and former assistant principal in the Mobile County School System. William Smith, who worked alongside Settle in the system for 14 years (a duo many former Murphy High School students called the "Dream Team"), gave Gulf Coast Media his thoughts on her legacy.

"She was an excellent teacher and administrator, being gifted in many areas," Smith said. "One of her gifts was communicating with others and being able to help those in need. Her ability to do so made her loved by students, parents, teachers and the support staff. One of the last pictures she sent me was of her helping our staff wax CLC (Continuous Learning Center) classroom floors.

"She was a fixer of problems for people. She had an extensive footprint in our school system, the communities she served and the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE). Her passion was helping those in need. She fed homeless people in our community. She would rescue any animal in distress. She loved to have fun. She was delightful to work with everyday. I am blessed to have had her as a coworker and most importantly a friend. She will be missed by all who knew her."

The National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-SAFE or text "START" to 88788) is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to provide support to survivors of domestic violence. Contacts to the hotline can expect, "highly-trained, expert advocates to offer free, confidential, and compassionate support, crisis intervention information, education, and referral services in over 200 languages."