Eight people shot including five fatally in suspected murder-suicide in Texas
Suspected shooter found injured from self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head
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Members of the Navarro County in eastern Texas are in shock after eight people were shot, including five dead, in a suspected murder-suicide incident.
Early Saturday, Corsicana police responded to an emergency call just after midnight when a caller reported that a man had shot more than half a dozen of his family members.
The suspect, one of the people among the dead, was found "critically injured from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head" in his car after the police tracked him using GPS, said a statement by police chief Robert Johnson.
The officers found a male and a female dead from gunshot wounds at a home in the 2900 block of West Second Avenue.
The suspect, identified as Kevin Milazzo, is believed to have allegedly killed his mother, 61, and his stepfather, 68, reported Local12.
A short distance away in Frost, Texas, where Milazzo reportedly drove to allegedly kill his 21-year-old son and a four-year-old boy, the son of his ex-girlfriend.
Three others were left injured in the incident, including an adult female who sustained multiple gunshot wounds.
She was taken to a Dallas trauma centre and her condition is unknown, officer Johnson said.
The detectives were able to identify and track down the alleged shooter’s vehicle with the help of GPS navigation system and intercepted him on FM 1129, south of Roane Road.
"At that time, we instructed the monitoring service to remotely turn off the vehicle’s engine," officer Johnson said in Saturday’s statement. "As the vehicle came to a full stop off the road, Corsicana Swat officers approached the vehicle to find the driver critically injured from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head."
The alleged shooter was taken to Navarro Regional Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries and was announced dead.
Police are leading the investigation into the murder-suicide case.
The neighbours who were left in shock after the incident said they have not seen anything like this before in the town.
“You don’t expect it from a small town like this,” a neighbour said.
Another neighbour Ethan Lusk said they had been living there for 16 years and the incident is scary. “It’s just traumatising to hear about,” he added.
The identities of the victims have not been revealed yet.
If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, The Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.
If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.