ZEBULON — Police have closed their investigation of a deadly shooting this week that they have determined was a suicide, a detective said this afternoon.

The victim, Christopher Lee Johnson, 22, of 206 W. Horton St. in Zebulon, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound following a domestic dispute with his 18-year-old girlfriend, police reported this afternoon.

"It was a crazy scene to figure out," said Candace Thompson, a detective with the Zebulon police. "When we first arrived we didn't know what was happening."

Police arrived at Christopher Johnson's home Monday just before 2 p.m., court records show.

When the officers arrived they found Johnson's girlfriend, Hannah Little sitting on the front porch of the home, crying, court records show.

When investigators went inside the home they found Johnson lying on the floor near the back door of the home. He was already dead, court records show.

Police also found a 30/30 rifle propped up against the doorway and a shotgun in the living room, court records show.

Little told police that a domestic dispute between the two was sparked by a "breakup letter" she had written to Johnson "Her letter pretty much said, ' I'm really sorry, but we cannot make this work. I can't do this anymore,'" Thompson said.

The boyfriend read the letter and fired a gunshot at Little who left the residence. She returned a short time later and found Johnson, dead of a gunshot wound.

Christopher Johnson also left a letter behind, but the Zebulon detective declined to reveal its contents. Neighbors who saw what happened and investigative work by officers with the City County Bureau of Identification corroborated Little's statement to the police.

"There were a lot of questions," Thompson said. "Two guns in the home had both been fired, and with her being there after it just happened, we had to investigate."