Husband of City Official Found Shot to Death : Killing: Donald Morris had publicly accused Lynwood Mayor Pro Tem Evelyn Wells of adultery. She is not a suspect at this time, authorities say.

The husband of Lynwood Mayor Pro Tem Evelyn Wells was found shot to death outside their home early Saturday, several days after he had shaken the city with charges that his wife was having an affair with the city manager.

Sheriff’s investigators said Donald Morris, 36, was standing in front of the couple’s home in the 3800 block of Le Sage Street when he was shot several times in the upper body. Authorities received a call from a neighbor just before 1 a.m. Saturday.

Last week, Morris had publicly accused Wells and Lynwood City Manager Laurence H. Adams Jr. of having an affair--a charge they both denied. A Sheriff’s Department spokesman said that Wells and Adams had voluntarily presented themselves to authorities Saturday and would be questioned extensively today.

“At this point in the investigation they are not considered suspects,” said Deputy Larry Mead. “However, there will be more interviews done.”

Married seven years, Wells’ and Morris’ marital problems became a matter of public record last week after Morris obtained a temporary restraining order that kept Wells away from their home and his workplace. Compton Superior Court Judge Richard Kalustian, who had been unaware that Wells is a member of the council, lifted the restraining order Friday.

Morris, a part-time cable television production specialist for the city, alleged that his wife had threatened him.

In an affidavit Morris filed with his request for a restraining order, he described an altercation in mid-March, when he confronted Wells about the alleged affair.

“I asked her if they were planning to fire me from my job or set me up to be killed or falsely have me arrested in an effort to destroy my reputation,” Morris said in the affidavit. “These questions caused her to become very angry at me and she (started) yelling: ‘I am sick of you. . . . This is it. Your (expletive) ass is going to get it now. You better be (moved) out of this house when I get back from work or else you are dead.”

Then, according to Morris’ account, Wells “went out to our car and came back with a gun and I went and hid myself outside in our garage until she left.”

Because Morris listed City Hall as his work site, the restraining order kept Wells from attending one City Council meeting.

In an interview Friday, just hours before his death, Morris told The Times that Wells had filed for divorce, serving him with papers Friday afternoon. He repeated his charge of adultery but said he hoped for a reconciliation.

“I just want my wife back,” he said. “I want her to come home as long as she doesn’t threaten me or become violent.”

Morris indicated that at the next City Council meeting he hoped to show a secretly made videotape that he said would prove that Wells and Adams were having an affair. Morris said his wife’s angry reaction to the tape, which he said included a “passionate kiss,” was part of the reason he sought the restraining order.

Still, Morris said Friday, he was considering making the tape public. “People need to know what is going on,” he said.

A search warrant was served at Morris’ and Wells’ residence Saturday, officials said. Sgt. Ron Spear, a spokesman, said a videotape was seized from Morris’ truck, which was parked at the home.

Lynwood City Councilman Armando Rea said he also talked to Morris on Friday night. Rea, a sheriff’s deputy, said Morris asked him for help in obtaining a bulletproof vest.

“He was afraid for his life,” Rea said. “He said he loved Evelyn and wanted his marriage to work out, but that Evelyn was upset at him. He asked me whether he should leave his house. I told him to stay there, that he loved his wife and that it was his home and he shouldn’t have to leave it.”

Family members who gathered at the crime scene said sheriff’s investigators told them Morris was shot twice in the back as he apparently fled. He was shot three more times in the chest, they said, as he was lying on a neighbor’s lawn.

Authorities pronounced Morris dead at the scene. Sheriff’s deputies said his wallet had not been taken. Neighbors said they heard five or six shots and the sound of screeching tires.

Claude Law, a community activist who knew Morris and Wells, said he was urging people not to draw conclusions about the killing.

“I hope people will keep an open mind and let’s not speculate,” Law said. “There are children in this family and we want to think about them. We sympathize with the family.”

Wells’ family gathered at a friend’s home Saturday but refused to comment. Adams’ father, meanwhile, said his son, who is married and has children, was not involved in any extramarital affair.

“This is all garbage. None of it’s true. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty. I believe what my son says. . . . I take his word for it,” said Laurence Adams, a Compton funeral home owner, his voice rising. “I wouldn’t believe it in a hundred years. My son is not of that caliber.”

Wells’ attorney, Mablean Paxton, did not return phone calls seeking comment.