MOM KILLED IN FRONT OF CHILDREN.

Byline: Ryan Oliver Staff Writer

A man shot a woman to death in front of the couple's two daughters Monday and then critically wounded himself in a botched suicide attempt, police said.

Los Angeles police were summoned to the Bonita Apartments at 6841 Sepulveda Blvd. just before 4 p.m. when a neighbor called 911.

LAPD Detective Wayne Dufont said the neighbor was alerted to the shooting when the couple's 9-year-old daughter came running to the door.

``The girl told the neighbor: 'Daddy shot Mommy, and then Daddy shot himself,''' Dufont said.

Officers arrived to find a woman in her 20s dead in the bedroom of the couple's apartment. A man in his 20s also lay in the room with a gunshot wound to his head and was evacuated to Northridge Medical Center, he said.

``He was in horrendous condition,'' Dufont said.

Detectives recovered a .22-caliber rifle in the bedroom and five spent cartridges. By late Monday, investigators were still trying to determine if the couple was married and what the nature of the dispute was.

``We're treating it as a murder-suicide attempt,'' said LAPD spokesman John Pasquariello. ``We just don't know what caused this.''

The 9-year-old girl and her 4-year-old sister were taken into protective custody, Pasquariello said.