‘Courageous’ boy, 13, jumps out of window with his four-year-old sibling and flees murder-suicide shooting as father kills mother before turning gun on himself
- Boy, 13, grabbed his 4-year-old sibling and got them to safety by climbing out the window and running to a neighbor’s home
- Three kids were in the house when a man fatally shot his girlfriend and then shot himself
- Three-year-old sibling left in the house was rescued by police
- The couple were dating and both licensed to have firearms
- Police heard gunshots ring out on the 911 call from simultaneous phone calls
- An investigation is ongoing to see if there authorities had responded to the home in the past
A 13-year-old boy grabbed his four-year-old sibling and jumped from a window to escape a murder-suicide as their father shot their mother dead before killing himself in the Boston area on Tuesday.
Police officers who raced to the scene then rescued a third child – a three year-old girl – from the home in Oxford, Massachusetts.
The 34-year-old woman’s body was found in the kitchen, while the man’s body was found outside in the backyard, according to NBC 10 Boston. Neither have been named by police.
The couple – who were not married – had two of the children together, while one is from a previous marriage, according to police.
The eldest of the three kids is being commended for his courageous act that got his other sibling to safety.
‘The 13-year-old is a pretty courageous young kid.’ Worcester District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. told reporters on the scene. ‘He took the 4-year-old in his arms, opened the window, and ran out the window to a neighbor’s house.’
The eldest of the couple’s three children got his younger sibling safely away from the house when he heard the sound of gunshots
Police officers who raced to the scene then rescued a third child – a three year-old girl – from the home in Oxford, Massachusetts
He added: ‘This appears to be a tragic case of domestic violence within the house.’
Authorities said they received a 911 call from the woman, and then soon after got another from a man who lived at the same house.
The man’s call was transferred to the state police because dispatchers were on the call with the woman.
In one of the calls, gunshots could be heard ringing out, WBZ-TV reported.
A third call was made to police after the 13-year-old child arrived at the neighbors’ home with his sibling.
A couple were found dead by police in their Oxford home after the man shot his girlfriend and then shot himself
Authorities received calls at the same time from both the man and woman as the shooting occurred
Worcester District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. (pictured) praised the 13-year-old’s bravery
The children were taken to a nearby police station and are receiving trauma-related services.
Neighbors told how the youngest child was screaming for her mother as she was removed from the home by police.
‘I heard the girl carried out by the police and she was screaming for her mommy,’ said one neighbor to WCVB-TV. ‘You know, it’s heartbreaking.’
Officers retrieved a firearm from the scene. They said both of the adults were licensed to own guns.
Oxford Police Chief Anthony Saad the shooting was a isolated incident.
‘We’re in the process of trying to determine the activity at this home as far as officers responding in the past to see if there is anything that could assist us with this investigation,’ Saad told The Boston Globe.