SIX PEOPLE HAVE been killed in shootings in multiple locations in the city of Muscatine in Iowa, US.
Police said the gunman killed six members of his family in a domestic-related dispute, then took his own life. The Muscatine School Community District said that two students and two staff members were among those who lost their lives.
The Muscatine Police Department said the suspect is Ryan Willis McFarland (52), of Muscatine.
After reports of gunshots, police officers and emergency medical personnel were dispatched to a residence on Park Avenue, where they found four people dead with apparent gunshot wounds.
The suspect had left the residence before the officers’ arrival, and was found a short time later with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
As the investigation progressed, detectives learned there were more victims.
They found a man, deceased from an apparent gunshot wound, inside a residence on Mill Street. Another man, deceased from an apparent gunshot wound, was found in a business on Grandview Avenue.
“Preliminary findings indicate the shootings stemmed from a domestic-related dispute. All victims are believed to be family members of the deceased suspect,” police said.
Iowa congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks said she was “heartbroken by the tragic loss of life in Muscatine today”.
“I have been in contact with Mayor Bark and have offered the full support of my office as the community responds to this unthinkable tragedy,” she added.