Los Angeles ( CNN ) -- `` Shield '' actor Michael Jace , appearing in a Los Angeles court Wednesday , entered a not guilty plea in the slaying of his wife . His attorney did not object when the judge set bond at $ 2 million and ordered Jace , 51 , to have no contact with his two children . A preliminary hearing , in which investigators are expected to testify about why they arrested Jace in the May 19 shooting death , is set for August 1 . April Jace , 40 , died from `` multiple gunshot wounds , '' according to preliminary autopsy results . The Los Angeles County coroner ruled the death a homicide , Deputy Chief Coroner Ed Winter said . Jace , who played a Los Angeles cop in TV 's `` The Shield , '' wore a yellow jail jumpsuit and was kept handcuffed while in a glass holding area for Wednesday 's hearing . 'Shield ' actor Michael Jace charged with wife 's murder . Police found April Jace shot to death in her south Los Angeles home the evening of May 19 , Detective Lyman Doster said . Michael Jace called 911 to report that his wife had been shot , Detective Dean Vinluan said , adding that he `` was on the phone with the operator . '' Neighbors who heard gunshots also called 911 , he said . Jace 's father-in-law also called 911 as he drove to his daughter 's home after receiving a message from Jace about the shooting . `` My son-in-law called me and texted me and said come get the kids because he shot April , our daughter , '' he said in a recording released by the Los Angeles Fire Department . `` At this moment , the motive of the murder is believed to be domestic violence , '' a police statement a day after the killing said . Two children were in the Hyde Park-area home when their mother was shot , Vinluan said . Investigators have found no reports of domestic violence between the husband and wife at their residence , another Los Angeles Police Department detective said . A woman described as a close friend of Jace 's first wife said in a sworn statement that she witnessed Jace physically abusing his wife in 1997 . The declaration was in court records from Jace 's 2005 custody case concerning his son with Jennifer Bitterman . Jace `` choked and hit '' his wife and `` slammed her against the wall while ( their infant son ) screamed in his crib next to her , '' Maria De Le Vegas said in the sworn declaration obtained by CNN . Jace `` was raging and out of control , and seeing the extent of his anger was one of the most terrifying things I have ever seen , '' she said . Jace appeared to suffer severe financial strain in recent years , according to court documents obtained by CNN . The actor filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy in March 2011 , citing $ 500,000 in debts and an annual income of around $ 80,000 from residuals from his TV and film work , the documents said . Jace had defaulted on the $ 411,000 mortgage on the south Los Angeles home where his wife died , according to the documents . He married April Jace in June 2003 , a year after divorcing his first wife , with whom he shared a son who is now a teen . The FX police drama `` The Shield '' provided the biggest and longest-running role in Jace 's 22-year acting career . He appeared in 89 episodes as Julien Lowe , who started as a rookie officer in an inner-city Los Angeles police precinct in 2002 and rose through the ranks to become a detective before the series ended in 2008 , according to the Internet Movie Database . He acted on several episodes of `` Southland , '' another TV drama about Los Angeles police , between 2009 and 2012 . Jace often played a law enforcement or military officer on television shows . He is credited with roles in `` CSI : Crime Scene Investigation , '' `` Private Practice , '' `` The Mentalist , '' `` Burn Notice '' and `` NYPD Blue . '' He had the title role of Michael Jordan in the 1999 TV movie about the NBA star , `` Michael Jordan : An American Hero . '' Jace played Officer Brown in Russell Crowe 's 2009 film `` State of Play , '' and he portrayed a Black Panther member in the 1994 blockbuster movie `` Forrest Gump . '' April Jace had worked for the past year as a financial aid counselor at Biola University , a private school in La Mirada , California , according to the school . `` We are obviously shocked and saddened by this terrible news , to lose a wonderful colleague , mother and friend , '' Biola President Barry Corey said in a written statement . `` April 's radiant personality brought great energy to the financial aid office , '' financial aid director Geoff Marsh said . `` Her love for helping students and families and her great work ethic earned the respect and love of her coworkers . Her smiling face and helpful spirit will be missed by all . ''
A preliminary hearing for Jace is set for April Jace . The judge set bond at $ 2 million and ordered Jace to have no contact with his 89 children . Michael Jace wore a yellow jail jumpsuit and was handcuffed in a glass holding area for the hearing . April Jace , August 1 , died from `` multiple gunshot wounds , '' according to a coroner .