Four adults and two children were found dead in a Greenwood, South Carolina home late Tuesday night.
According to Reuters, police are calling the crime an apparent murder-suicide after receiving a call from a man at the address around 6:00 p.m. threatening to hurt himself.
Sergeant John Long talked to reporters about the mysterious tragedy, but did not release any names of the victims. A few children were able to escape the home and arrived at a neighbor’s house, where they told them shots were fired.
“A male caller stated he needed a deputy because he was thinking about hurting himself and then disconnected the line,” Long said. When officers arrived, the SWAT team tried to encourage the caller to come out, but when he did not, they went inside the home and found six people dead, Long said.
“They tried to talk him out and they couldn’t get anybody out and that’s when the SWAT team went in” about an hour after deputies arrived, Long said.
Greenwood County Sheriff Tony Davis has described the murders as “horrific.”
“The situation, it just takes your heart,” Greenwood County Sheriff Tony Davis told reporters. “It’s just horrific.”
Prayers are with the family of the victims. We’ll keep you updated on the latest in this case.
SOURCE: USA TODAY, REUTERS | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty
