Three people were killed in an apparent double murder-suicide when an elderly man shot and killed his two neighbors before turning the gun on himself in Oklahoma, police said.
Responding officers with the Mannford Police Department answered an incoming emergency call early on Monday at a home in Mannford, which is located about 20 miles west of Tulsa.
Officials found two bodies, identified in a statement from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) as 57-year-old Mary Milam and 59-year-old Donald Langdon, who lived together at a residence on Osage Place in Mannford.
A third person, 83-year-old James Hancock, who is the neighbor of Milan and Langdon admitted during a stand-off with police that he killed the pair, according to the statement.
Hancock walked out of his home and sat down with a gun to his head, Mannford Police Chief Jerry Ridley said, according to local outlet Tulsa World.
After a 30-minute stand-off with Mannford deputies, who attempted to convince the elderly man to lower his gun, Hancock eventually turned the gun on himself and pulled the trigger. He was transferred to a Tulsa hospital where he died from the self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.
OSBI detectives said the investigation is ongoing.
The small city hadn’t recorded any homicide for approximately eight years before Monday’s shooting, according to local news. The last homicide in the city happened in 2012.
Mannford is located in Creek County in the city of Oklahoma and has a population of just over 3,000 people.
Murder-Suicide in Washington State
Last week on May 14, three people died following an apparent double murder-suicide in the Sequim area of Washington state, authorities said.
The victims were identified the next day as two siblings: 34-year-old Samantha Faber and her brother 32-year-old James Faber, according to a statement from the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO).
The shooter, who, according to witnesses, lived at the victims’ home, was identified as 25-year-old Jacob M. Hunter, police said.
Around midnight on Thursday, deputies with the CCSO responded to a call reporting gunshots inside a residence on Sheldon Lane, northeast of Sequim.
At the time of the emergency call, seven people, including the suspect, were reported to be inside the residence, according to the statement. The suspect was known to all six people in the home, officials said.
Authorities were able to evacuate some people to safety, including children, and later tried to negotiate with the shooter, but were unable to make contact, reported local news outlet MyClallamCounty. Authorities have not said how many children were inside the house or how old they are.
“Attempts were made to negotiate with the suspect while law enforcement officers from several other agencies responded to make a tactical entry,” police said. “The suspect did not respond and entry was made.”
Once responding officers enter the residence, they discovered three bodies.
Hunter had used a handgun to kill Samantha and James before turning the weapon on himself, said Chief Criminal Deputy Brian King.
An investigation is ongoing but CCSO released a motive in an update. “According to statements made to detectives by witnesses, it appears that the motive centered on Samantha Faber’s unwillingness to enter into a romantic relationship with Jacob Hunter at the level he desired,” CCSO said, adding, “James Faber Jr. was shot when he ran towards the gunfire in an attempt to stop Jacob Hunter, and/or render aid to his sister Samantha.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
