Illinois police say a single father shot his twin children to death before turning the gun on himself Monday morning.
According to Fox 32, Chicago police were called to a residence in the 6200 block of North Richmond Street at approximately 11 a.m., where they found a 45-year-old old man dead in the hallway of the home. Officials say he died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to his face.
Authorities said the man’s 10-year-old twins were subsequently discovered with gunshot wounds to the back of their heads before being pronounced dead at the home. The Cooke County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the children killed in the tragedy as Mason and Addison Sanders.
While neighbors and friends of the family reportedly identified the father as Derrick, he has not been formally identified by the medical examiner, pending notification of next of kin, ABC 13 reports.
Those who lived near the family described the father as a single parent who lived alone with his twins in the Uptown neighborhood. They added that he shared custody of the children with his ex after a divorce. If there were any problems going on in the home, neighbors were unaware.
“I can’t believe he did this. I can’t believe he did this to his children. He loved those kids. Makes no sense. It makes absolutely no sense,” Brenda Adams told ABC 13. “Very happy kids. Very good, well-behaved kids. They were excellent. All the kids around here played with them. In fact, they were at my neighbor’s house last night.”
Another neighbor, Annette Wynn, said she is petrified by the news and is questioning whether there could’ve been something she could’ve done to help the father.
“My question is if it was something I could’ve done, prayed for him or prayed with him.”
Authorities said the investigation is ongoing and a motive is not yet known for the suspected murder-suicide. Check back with CrimeOnline for the latest developments.
If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, help is available 24/7 at 1-800-273-8255.
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