A Minnesota man shot and killed his wife, son, ex-partner and her son, then killed himself, authorities said Friday.
Duluth police have not released a motive, but Police Chief Mike Seynowa said at a news conference that the gunman, named Anthony Nephew, 46, “had mental health issues.”
Thursday’s murder was consistent with the type of crime that has been called a “family massacre” since the 1980s. Thursday’s killing was the 25th mass killing in the U.S. so far this year, according to the nonpartisan Gun Violence Archive, which is defined as the killing of four or more victims. .
Police said officers were first called to the home Thursday just after 2 p.m. They found Erin Abramson, 47, and Jacob Neff, 15, dead from apparent gunshot wounds. Seynowa said Abramson and Anthony Nephew were previously in a relationship.
Late Thursday, police identified Anthony Nephew as the suspect and surrounded his home. Once inside, officers found the bodies of him, his 45-year-old wife Kathryn, and their 7-year-old son Oliver.
Police said it appears Anthony’s nephew shot himself.
Duluth is a city of approximately 90,000 people located approximately 135 miles (217 km) north of Minneapolis.
There is no centralized database that can provide insight into the characteristics and prevalence of this type of crime. However, the overwhelming majority of such cases involve a male murderer armed with a gun who kills multiple close relatives and then commits suicide.
The steady resurgence of mass murders in the United States has led many in the country to call for stricter federal gun laws. But Congress was unable or unwilling to implement such measures.
The Associated Press contributed reporting.
