CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Nashville paramedic arrested Tuesday claimed his father-in-law shot his wife, and then said he beat his father-in-law to death, according to 911 audio from the incident obtained by Clarksville Now.
Matthew Konen, 31, was arrested Tuesday on two counts of homicide. A news release from Clarksville Police Department stated yesterday that Konen had been arrested for the shooting deaths of his wife, 30-year-old Rachel Konen, and her father, 62-year-old David Rodgers.
But according to 911 call audio from the incident, Konen told dispatchers that Rogers was the one who shot Rachel Konen, and that he had “pistol-whipped” Rodgers because he thought Rodgers was going to shoot him too.
In the 911 call audio, dated Jan. 20 at 6:42 p.m., Konen can be heard screaming for help. “My father-in law just shot my wife,” Konen says.
He then adds that he had to disarm his father-in-law. “I knocked him down,” Konen can be heard saying. “I incapacitated him and took the weapon away.”
The operator asks Konen if his wife is breathing, and he responds that she is “agonally breathing,” or gasping. The operator tells Konen he needs to start CPR, and he responds: “I am goddamn it, I had to get my paramedic bag out of my car.”
Then the operator asks where Konen’s father-in-law is, and if he is hurt too.
“Yes, I had to hit him because he was trying to shoot me,” Konen says, adding that his father-in-law is on the kitchen floor. “I pistol-whipped him. He’s not conscious,” Konen continues.
Konen then requests two ambulances, and for the operator to launch LifeFlight. The paramedics and responding officers that arrived on scene can also be heard in the audio saying that Rodgers appeared to have been beaten.