A father shot dead three of his own children Monday before turning the gun on himself in a US church, police said.
A fifth person also died in the shooting in Sacramento, California, though it was not clear if that person was related to what police said was a domestic incident.
“The suspect in this case, who ended up killing himself, had a restraining order out against him by his estranged wife, the mother of the three children victims,” Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones told NBC Bay Area.
“It hurts to hear that a father killed three of his own kids,” said Alicia Harmon, a 16-year-old neighbor.
Many of Harmon’s friends live close to the church, and she went there after learning from her mother that she could know some of the attendees.
The three girls attended Bannon Creek Elementary School and Leroy Greene Academy in the Natomas Unified School District, which issued a statement on Tuesday.
In addition to stating that “there are not many words that can give comfort at this moment for this terrible tragedy,” the district revealed that members of the emotional support team from the Sacramento Police Department and chaplains will offer bereavement counseling. “Our pupils and teachers, particularly at the educational institutions where pupils attended, will be experiencing a range of reactions.”
