They were aged 4 to 17. A man killed his five children, his wife and his mother-in-law by firearm before committing suicide in the western United States, local authorities announced on Thursday.
Police discovered the bodies on Wednesday afternoon after receiving a call asking them to check on the family’s condition, according to the document. They then discovered the eight corpses, all of which bore “gunshot wounds,” the statement continued.
The first elements of the investigation “suggest that the suspect committed suicide after killing seven other people in the home”, explained in a press release the city of Enoch City in Utah where the tragedy took place. In addition to the children, Michael Haight would have killed his 40-year-old wife and his 78-year-old mother-in-law, before turning his gun against him.
“Armed violence” singled out
The investigation must continue with the hearing of witnesses of the drama and the autopsies of the bodies, adds the same source.
Enoch City is a small town of 7,000 people, located in southwestern Utah, more than a four-hour drive from the state capital, Salt Lake City. Joe Biden and his wife Jill “are in mourning with the people” of the city, the White House has said.
“Too many Americans have lost loved ones or had their lives turned upside down by gun violence,” executive spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
“Our hearts go out to all those affected by this senseless violence,” Republican Utah Governor Spencer Cox responded on Twitter, asking to pray for the residents of the city.