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Pot shop pulls edibles from shelves following deadly shooting

Denver police are investigating the murder of a woman killed while on the phone with a 911 operator
Police: Denver man ate marijuana candy before killing wife 01:27

DENVER - A store in Denver where a man accused of murdering his wife bought marijuana-infused candy and a pre-rolled joint in the hours before he allegedly shot and killed her has removed edible marijuana products from its shelves, reports CBS Denver.

"For your protection and our protection we've just in the last five seconds decided to pull all the edibles," a store employee told the station.

When asked why, the employee responded, "People are indulging too much and causing issues for everybody."

Richard Kirk, 47, faces first-degree murder charges in the Monday, April 14 shooting death of his wife, 44-year-old Kristine Kirk.

A copy of a search warrant sent to CBS News' Crimesider Thursday by the Denver Departmernt of Public Safety alleges detectives found

kristine-kirk.jpg
Kristine Kirk Facebook via CBS Denver
a receipt from Nutritional Elements, a marijuana store in southeast Denver. Police say the receipt and store surveillance video reveal Richard Kirk purchased "Karma Kandy Orange Ginger," a form of edible marijuana, and "Pre 98 Bubba Kush Pre-Roll," a pre-rolled joint, in the hours before his wife's death.

Kristine Kirk had called 911 prior to the deadly shooting and told dispatchers her husband ate the candy and then started hallucinating and frightening the couple's three children, according to the warrant. Police say Richard Kirk may have also taken prescription pain medication before he began acting erratically.

Police say Kristine Kirk told dispatchers her husband was getting a gun from a safe before a gunshot sounded about 12 minutes into her call and the line went quiet.

The department is investigating whether police responded quickly enough. CBS Denver reports Denver Police Chief John White is concerned about the amount of time the victim was on the phone before help arrived.

"To some degree it is situation by situation and obviously, as it relates to this particular incident, we're going to look at all of those nuances and determine what, if anything, went wrong from our perspective. Obviously something went wrong because someone lost their life," White said.

In the call with 911, Kristine Kirk told the operator that her husband had asked her to get the gun and shoot him. She told the operator she was scared of what he might do because her three kids were in the house with her, according to the warrant.

On the call, Kristine Kirk is also heard telling the operator to "please hurry" because her husband was scaring the kids and "totally hallucinating," the warrant says.

In the background of the call, the warrant alleges, Richard Kirk is heard talking about taking some marijuana "candy."

By the time officers responded to the home, they found Kristine Kirk dead of an apparent gunshot wound to the head. Richard Kirk was taken into custody.

Once in the back of the police car, Richard Kirk started "rambling to himself," according to the affidavit, and at one point, he said he was "the strongest in the Church of Latter Day Saints and he had killed his wife."

Police say they noted that Richard Kirk appeared to be under the influence of "some type of controlled substance and/or prescription pill based upon his speech patterns, his inability to focus and his pupils."

Authorities took a blood sample from him and it is being tested for traces of narcotics, medications and marijuana.

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