Man Beats Fiancée to Death With Lamp As Cops Try To Break Down Door—Police

A Tennessee man killed his fiancée by beating her repeatedly with a lamp, according to police.

Memphis Police were alerted to a report of a domestic disturbance at the 5000 block of Hornsby Drive at about 10 p.m. on March 15.

According to NBC affiliate WLBT, as police knocked on the door they heard a woman screaming: "Help. He's got a gun. Kick the door in."

When police managed to gain entry, they were met by Norris Lyles, 63, who was clad in a bloody T-shirt.

According to Fox13, when police ordered Lyles to get on the ground he told officers "you get on the ground" and reached for a gun at his waist.

Police then fired a stun gun at Lyles and took him into custody before moving him to the Regional One Hospital, where he was said to be in a non-critical condition.

A woman found in the backyard of the property had deep cuts to the upper left corner of her head.

While the victim was moved to the same hospital by Memphis fire department personnel, she later died as a result of the injuries she sustained.

A statement shared by Memphis Police on March 15 said: "A 55-year-old female was located suffering from head trauma. She was transported to ROH but did not survive her injuries. Officers have one male detained. This homicide investigation is ongoing."

Fox13 reported officers reported a floor lamp had its base coated in blood at the site of the attack and that it had been used to attack the woman.

Lyles and the victim were engaged and lived at the residence where the attack took place, police told the network.

He has been arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder and is being held on a $50,000 bond.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 41 percent of women in the U.S. experienced sexual violence, physical violence, and/ or stalking by an intimate partner. This compares with 26 percent of men who experienced the same.

It added: "Data from U.S. crime reports suggest that about 1 in 5 homicide victims are killed by an intimate partner.

"The reports also found that over half of female homicide victims in the United States are killed by a current or former male intimate partner."

It added that intimate partner violence (IPV) also has several other costs to society, namely economic.

The CDC stated: "The lifetime economic cost associated with medical services for IPV-related injuries, lost productivity from paid work, criminal justice and other costs, is $3.6 trillion. The cost of IPV over a victim's lifetime was $103,767 for women and $23,414 for men."

Newsweek has contacted the Memphis Police Department for comment via email.