Gun store owner shoots his two children and wife before killing himself, police say
Police are yet to release details on motive behind murder and suicide
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
A man from Colorado killed his two minor children and wife before killing himself at their home in El Paso County over the weekend, the police said on Monday.
Christof Kreb, 55, owned a gun shop in Colorado Springs, according to business records kept by the Colorado secretary of state’s office.
Deputies were called to Kreb’s Pleier Drive home on Saturday morning for a report of “someone on scene who was seriously injured and needed help”, lieutenant Deborah Mynatt of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
When the officers arrived, all four family members were found dead. The victims have been identified as 50-year-old Yvette M Siegert-Kreb, who was married to Kreb for 26 years, and their two children aged 13 and 9.
The call prompted a large law enforcement response with additional tactical support units rushed to the scene. A “reverse 911″ was sent to families within a 2-mile radius, asking them to stay indoors and keep their doors and windows locked.
“The cause and manner of death for all will be released by the El Paso County Coroner’s Office once they make a ruling,” the statement said.
Both the husband and wife were United States Army veterans. Yvette Kreb was a retired neonatal intensive care unit nurse, the family’s representative Laura Muir Mellini said. She had been making face masks for the community since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“She was a tireless advocate for mistreated and neglected children,” Ms Muir Mellini told the Denver Post.
Yvette Kreb was also featured in a newsletter issued in May 2020 by USA Shooting, a nonprofit organisation headquartered in Colorado Springs that works with athletes to promote shooting sports.
According to Ms Muir Mellini, the 13-year-old girl was adopted from China, while her 9-year-old brother was adopted from Albania. The family had reportedly adopted six children, most of whom had dwarfism, over the past decade.
Alexa Gromko, who has known the family since 2010, said it was a devastating loss for the community. “And the surviving family members are going to need lots of care, compassion and support,” she told the Denver Gazette.