By Walt Hunter

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (CBS) –- An elderly man shot and killed his wife before taking his own life inside the hospice area of a Lehigh County hospital Tuesday, police said.

The shooting happened at about 1 p.m. inside the 4th floor hospice area of the Lehigh Valley Hospital campus located at 17th and Chew Streets in Allentown.

Investigators say Elwood Osman fatally shot his 83-year-old wife, Mildred, in her hospital bed before turning the gun on himself.

Mildred checked into the hospice center on March 7th.

“It’s a love story,” said Jim Geiger Senior Vice President of Operations at Lehigh Valley Health Network. “The elderly gentleman could not bear to see his wife suffering, and the family, I believe, have observed that he could not envision living without her.”

Officials say there were no patients or staff in the room at the time of the shooting and the public was never at risk.

“Contrary to some rumors, this was not an active shooter situation. No other patients were in jeopardy,” said Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin.

Martin says preliminarily this appears to be a murder-suicide and autopsy will be performed.

Allentown Police, the Lehigh County Coroner and the District Attorney’s Office are investigating.