A man has shot and killed his wife, just moments after she gave birth in a shocking murder-suicide in the United States.

Police in Homewood, Alabama say they attended a shooting at the Women’s Center at Brookwood Hospital on March 1, where they found a woman and a man dead from gunshot wounds.

After investigation, Homewood Police have ruled the incident as a murder-suicide by 19-year-old Kynath William Terry Jr, according to People.

It is believed the woman, who has been identified as Precious Johnson, was a patient at the hospital after giving birth to a baby.

According to a coroner’s report, Terry shot Johnson multiple times before turning the gun on himself where he police allege he took his own life.

Birmingham news channel WVTM contacted Terry’s mother, who says she was aware of marital issues between the couple but “didn’t know her son was “violent”.

Alabama Hospital Association Danne Howard spoke to local news station WBRC, said it was the “first time” a murder suicide had occurred at any Alabama hospital and that patients deserve to “feel safe” when receiving treatment.

“There are a few places in our world where we should feel safe — at church, our hospitals, and our homes,” Ms Howard said.

“We want to assure the public that our hospitals and our health care providers consider safety just as important as providing quality health care.”

There are currently no security mandates at Alabama hospitals, Ms Howard says, but a pending review of the horrific incident may inform tightening protocols state-wide.