Six people killed in Iowa domestic dispute, police say
Six people have been killed in the US state of Iowa following a series of shootings that appear to have stemmed from a domestic dispute, police said.
The suspected gunman was also found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the Muscatine Police Department.
The victims are believed to be family members of the suspect, identified as 52-year-old Ryan Willis McFarland of Muscatine, the department said.
Muscatine Police Chief Anthony Kies called the attack “an evil act.”
[BBC]
Shootings took place in many parts of the city of Muscatine on Monday.
Police received a report of a shooting just after noon on Monday. When officers responded to a home, they found four people suffering from gunshot wounds, police said.
All four victims were pronounced dead at the scene.
McFarland had left the residence before officers arrived, but authorities found him a short time later near a pedestrian bridge along the riverbank.
Police said he suffered a gunshot wound and received medical attention but was pronounced dead at the scene.
Detectives later found another man dead from an apparent gunshot wound at a different home. A subsequent search led officers to a business, where they found another victim dead, also from an apparent gunshot wound.
Online maps show a metal workshop at the address given by police.
“Initial findings indicate the shootings stemmed from a domestic dispute,” McFarland police said in a statement. he said. “All victims are believed to be family members of the deceased suspect.”
Kies did not give the names and ages of the victims, but noted that the investigation is ongoing.
He confirmed the suspect had an existing criminal record but did not share further details.
Muscatine, in southwestern Iowa, is located on the Mississippi River and has a population of about 23,500, according to data released by the U.S. government last year.
“Our hearts are heavy tonight following the tragic shootings that claimed innocent lives,” Mayor Brad Bark wrote in a post on Facebook.
