Sun City resident George Sanders tells 911 dispatcher that he killed his wife

SUN CITY, AZ - It's an unusual and heartbreaking 911 call .

Earlier this month, 85-year-old George Sanders was taken into custody in the so-called " mercy killing " of his wife.

Eighty-one-year-old Virginia Sanders was shot once in the head with a .22 caliber revolver.

"I just shot my wife," said Sanders to a 911 dispatcher.

Sanders goes on to tell the dispatcher that he is holding his wife as she sits in her wheelchair.

The dispatcher asks, "Can I get you to go outside?"

George replies, "She will fall out of the chair, I hate to leave her."

As Maricopa County Sheriff's deputies race to his Sun City home, George tells the dispatcher that the gun is on the floor and he will walk outside.

George told the dispatcher Virginia had been told by a doctor that she should be admitted into the hospital due to a medical condition.

George said his wife didn't want to go.

"She just didn't want to go and she said 'shoot me, just shoot me'," George told the dispatcher.

According to the newly released recording, George is told to go outside and lay down on the ground.

"I'm 85-years-old, I'm not any danger," he said to the dispatcher. 

"I understand sir, but they have to take every precaution," the dispatcher replied.

George goes on to say, "You don't know what it's like, she's 81, she's got gangrene in four toes we just found out, they wanted her to go to the hospital tonight."

The dispatcher then said, "I'm very sorry to hear all of this sir and I can't imagine what a difficult position you must be in."

George then sits on his front porch and deputies take him into custody.

He currently faces a charge of first degree murder.

Virginia died a couple of days later.