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The owner of three body building gyms in Houma was found dead inside his residence Wednesday morning after the Terrebonne Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call regarding a shooting at the address.
Larry Blanchard, 57, of 102 Woodburn St., and owner of Body Elite, was pronounced dead at the scene while his wife, 29-year-old Nicole Blanchard, was taken by ambulance to Terrebonne General Medical Center with a gunshot wound to the head. She remained in surgery as of 1 p.m.
According to Terrebonne Sheriff Vernon Bourgeois, Nicole Blanchard had phoned 911 and responding with “yes” and “no” answers on her telephone keypad to a dispatcher who was trained to ask questions of victims unable to speak. Blanchard indicated that she had been shot inside her home by her husband and did not know his location at that time.
Bourgeois confirmed that a SWAT team was dispatched to the scene along with sheriff’s deputies. Officers entered the home to find Nicole Blanchard on her bed and Larry Blanchard’s body on the bedroom floor.
Bourgeois said he did not know what kind of weapon had been used in the shooting but confirmed that “several” firearms were seen inside the home.
Larry Blanchard has no documented history of domestic abuse and the sheriff said he was not aware of any previous calls to the home.
Bourgeois did not know who would be in charge of the business or if it would continue to operate under normal business hours.
As of press time, authorities had not determined a motive for the shooting.
