Five family members were fatally shot in an apparent murder-suicide Sunday afternoon at an Orchards home.
Authorities did not release the identities of the deceased. But Clark County sheriff’s Sgt. Chris Skidmore said all were adults, including the apparent shooter.
Clark County sheriff’s deputies responded at 1:06 p.m. for a welfare check in the 11500 block of Northeast 92nd Street. The home is in a residential neighborhood near Orchards Highlands Neighborhood Park, north of the Clark Public Utilities Operations Center and Padden Parkway.
Someone had called to say they had received a text message from a family member stating he had harmed others at the residence, according to the sheriff’s office.
Responding deputies tried to contact the residents, they said, but were unsuccessful.
“Based on the information about harm to others, possible firearm involvement and being unable to reach any of the family members in the home, patrol requested the assistance of the Southwest Washington Regional SWAT team,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
Deputies deployed an unmanned aircraft system inside the home and found several people who appeared to be dead. SWAT members and Tactical Emergency Support medics then entered the home and confirmed that five people were dead, the sheriff’s office said.
Investigators said they don’t believe there is a threat to the public. Although the investigation is ongoing, the incident appears to be a murder-suicide involving a firearm, the news release states.
The Clark County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit is investigating.
