Five people were found shot to death Friday in a home in Elk Mills, Maryland.
The Cecil County Sheriff’s Office said it was alerted by a 911 from a man who said a woman and three children had been shot and killed at the residence, which is set on a quiet residential cul-de-sac, according to WJZ-TV.
Officials said the call was very brief, and that the man hung up after telling police about the victims. Police tried to reach the residence, but calls went unanswered.
When police responded, they found a man lying dead in a detached garage with a handgun near him.
In the house, a woman was found shot on the first floor and three children were dead on the second floor.
Although WBAL-TV was calling the incident an “apparent murder-suicide,” officials had not yet released any official explanation of what had taken place.
Cecil County Sheriff Maryland Scott Adams on shooting at a home in northeastern Maryland leaving man, woman & 3 kids dead
Adams says they won’t yet call this a murder-suicide or who was the shooter and don’t have a motive
Child victims were in 5th, 7th & 8th grades @wbalradio pic.twitter.com/RNRwTiWIx4
— Ken Duffy (@KenDuffyWBAL) September 9, 2022
“It’s a horrific day, and I know everybody’s prayers are appreciated. … My phone hasn’t stopped ringing from people concerned about this and upset about this,” Cecil County Sheriff Scott Adams said at a Friday news conference, according to The Associated Press.
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“It’s grief is what it is at this point,” Adams said.
Adams said the deaths were far beyond the usual run of events in his county.
“Anytime you have a loss to these levels. Any loss is terrible, but a loss to this level, which is not a common thing — it’s certainly not a common thing here in Cecil County — it’s tragic and terrible and it takes a long time for people to process.”
#BREAKING 3 children among 5 found shot to death in Elk Mills, Maryland homehttps://t.co/ckf0l9ONup
— Action News on 6abc (@6abc) September 9, 2022
“This is a tragic and terrible day for our county and our community,” he said, according to WBAL-TV.
The children were home-schooled, and were in the fifth, seventh and eighth grades.
Cecil County Animal Services was called to remove a dog and two cats.
Neighbor Tom Driscoll said a couple and their three children lived in the house for about five years.
“I don’t know why anyone would want to hurt those children. I really don’t,” Driscoll said. “Things must have been really bad somehow.”
