A father shot and killed his three children and their chaperone on a supervised visit before committing suicide at a Sacramento, California, church, according to police.
Sgt. Rod Grassman of the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office
told reporters that police began receiving calls about a shooting at the Church in Sacramento at about 5:07 p.m. on Monday.
When they arrived, they saw the children on the floor of the church and had to break down the doors to get in.
He said that they found three children shot and killed along with two adults for a total of five dead. The father of the children appeared to have shot and killed himself after killing the four people.
He said the shooting was a domestic violence incident.
The three children were later reported to be girls of aged 9, 10, and 13. None of the victims were transported to hospitals, they were all pronounced dead at the scene.
In a later update, Sheriff Scott Jones said that the fourth victim was identified as a chaperone. He said the father was estranged from the mother of the children and that she had obtained a restraining order against him.
The shooter was not identified, but police said he was 39 years of age.
One witness said that there were so many police responding to the incident that ambulances were unable to arrive at the scene.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom released a statement emphasizing that the incident was due to gun violence.
“Another senseless act of gun violence in America,” wrote Newsome, “this time in our backyard. In a church with kids inside. Absolutely devastating. Our hearts go out to the victims, their families and their communities. We are working closely with local law enforcement.”
Here’s a local news video of the incident:
Man kills his 3 children, 1 other, himself at Sacramento church | ABC7
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