By By Tony Kukulich
Copyright postandcourier
HILTON HEAD ISLAND — The victim of a Sept. 12 fatal shooting in a Hilton Head nursing home has been identified.
Dennis Recker, 81, died from a gunshot wound at approximately 11:26 a.m., said Michael Bowers of the Beaufort County Coroner’s Office. The shooting took place at the Preston Health Center.
Harriett Kay Recker, Dennis Recker’s 82-year-old wife, was taken into custody when deputies discovered her in her husband’s room at the health care facility. She has been charged with murder and possession of weapon during a violent crime.
Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office deputies said they responded to a report of gunfire at the facility located at 87 Birdsong Way around 10:30 a.m. They found Dennis Recker suffering from a gunshot wound and began lifesaving measures to no avail.
The website for the Preston Health Center states that facility “provides exceptional care in an upscale, resident-focused environment.” It is a Medicare-certified, 58-bed facility that offers short-term, long-term and memory care services to both residents and non-residents of The Cypress of Hilton Head, a senior living community.
Recker, identified in jail records as a resident of Bluffton’s Sun City community, was booked into the Beaufort County Detention Center on Sept. 12 and remains confined there.
