Five members of the same family have been found dead following an apparent murder-suicide, police have said.
Police were called to an address in Vancouver, Washington, on Saturday afternoon following a tip-off from a caller in Seattle who said one of the family members had texted them saying they had “harmed others”.
When deputies arrived they were unable to contact anyone inside the house.
Back-up officers were called and, using a flying drone, they discovered the bodies of several people.
After medics were able to enter the home, they discovered five people had been shot – all members of the same family.
Clark County Deputies have the deaths appear to be the result of a murder suicide, with the suspect deceased along with what is currently believed to be the wife of the suspect, their two adult daughters, and the suspect’s adult brother.
“Five family members at the residence appeared have been shot, including the suspect,” the sheriff’s office said.
“There is not believed to be any threat to the public.”
The names of the family members have not yet been released.
Footage from the scene shows multiple police cars and vans outside the residence over the course of the weekend.
Neighbours have recalled seeing the police response unfold, with one man saying: “Everything got silent, dead silent, like you just know.
“You feel it, you feel it in your heart, you feel it in your bones.”
Another, a woman named Lily, said: “We saw the sheriff van pull up and we knew something was off then.
“They were calling it a welfare check, and SWAT was here, so everyone knew initially that it wasn’t a welfare check.”
