WEST LINN, Ore. -- The police chief who witnessed a murder-suicide in the parking lot of his police station Tuesday evening has begun to describe the horrific, chaotic moments that led up to the murder.

West Linn Police Chief Terry Timeus said shooter Newton Bill McMurtrey had a "thousand yard stare, like he had no life in his eyes."

"There’s no telling what was going through his mind. I mean, the look on his face, I can’t even describe it, but I knew something bad was going to happen," Timeus said.

More: Police chief saw it all as nightmare unfolded

The police chief looked out the window of his office and saw the shooting unfold but it happened so fast, there wasn't time to stop it, he said.

According to police, Bill McMurtrey chased Lisa McMurtrey with his truck as she arrived at the police station in her SUV and then Bill pulled alongside in his pickup truck and opened fire, killing her with a rifle in the parking lot of the West Linn Police Department before fatally shooting himself.

From KGW's Sky 8 helicopter, a smashed SUV was visible in the parking lot of the police station, and what appeared to be a covered body was slumped over the steering wheel.

Timeus said he saw a sport utility vehicle from his second-story office. He then heard a crash followed by shouting. He then saw that a man had crashed a gray Ford pickup into the SUV and was brandishing a high-powered rifle.

Officers heard two shots as they hurried to respond. Lisa Gayle McMurtrey, 51, was found dead at the scene. Newton Bill McMurtrey, 56, initially survived, but was taken to Oregon Health Sciences University Hospital, where he later died. He had been living in Damascus.

"We are saddened by this tragic incident," Timeus said. "Though we know our officers could not have changed the outcome of this shooting, we understand she was trying to make it here for her safety, our hearts go out to the victim's family."

Photos: Shooting scene

After the murder, police said they received calls from witnesses saying they saw a gray pickup truck ramming a black SUV near Highway 43 about 30 minutes before the shooting.

Neighbors of the woman shot to death by her estranged husband in front of police Tuesday said they knew the couple was separated, but they never thought things would turn so violent.

More: Shocked neighbors describe killer as 'easy-going'

“I never ever would have expected that of him, never,” said neighbor Dusty Calliham, who lived across the street from Bill in Damascus.

More: Domestic Violence Resources