Simsbury police confirmed Monday that a local man fatally shot his wife and then killed himself in their home Sunday evening.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said Monday that Linda Halligan, 57, died from from a gunshot wound to the head and her husband Bernard Halligan Jr., 59, fatally shot himself.

The shooting at 6 Woodleigh Place in the Weatogue section of town happened shortly before 5:20 p.m., police said. The couple’s 18-year-old daughter ran from the home and went to a neighbor’s for help. The neighbors called 911.

Officers arrived within minutes, went into the house and removed a seriously wounded woman later identified as Linda Halligan, police said. They administered first aid until medics arrived and took her to Saint Francis Hospital, where she later died.

“They did everything they could to save her life,” Deputy Chief Chris Davis said Monday morning.

Not knowing where the shooter was, police said they called other agencies for help, including a SWAT team. They also sent out automated, “reverse 911″ messages to residents warning them to stay inside.

“They weren’t sure if he had fled the house or not,” Davis said. “They were concerned he had fled and gone into a neighboring residence.”

Heavily armed police surrounded the neighborhood while teams searched a neighboring house and 6 Woodleigh. They found Bernard Halligan dead in the home’s garage, he said. The assisting officers were from North Central Emergency Services, North Central Crisis Negotiation Team and the Connecticut State Police.

The couple had two daughters, according to obituaries for Halligan’s parents. The older daughter was out of state, Davis said.

Assessment records show Linda Halligan owned the 4,300-square-foot house.

“It’s a very safe community. It’s a beautiful community,” Davis told reporters at the scene. “Obviously, these types of incidents can happen anywhere. It’s unfortunate that it happened here tonight. It’s a tragic situation.”

“Our hearts go out to the family and the friends of everybody involved,” Davis said.

He said Monday morning there already are signs that the tightknit community will rally around the family.

“The community will do everything we can to help the family,” he said.

Davis said the first-arriving police officers put themselves in harm’s way when they went in through the open front door of the house and saw Linda Halligan inside, badly wounded, but still alive. They did so not knowing if the shooter was still there, he said.

“They were able to pull her out, start administering first aid,” Davis said. “I am proud of our officers’ response.”

Bernard Halligan Jr.’s LinkedIn account describes him as a commercial insurance executive.

Police continue to investigate the deaths with help from the Hartford State’s Attorney’s office and Major Crimes detectives from the state police.

Courant staff writers Christopher Keating and Daniela Altimari contributed to this report.