A man fatally shot his wife, their two adult daughters and his brother before killing himself at a Washington state home, authorities said Monday.
The Clark County Sheriff’s Office said it was investigating the case as a murder-suicide.
Authorities received a call around 1 p.m. Sunday requesting a welfare check at a home in Vancouver, Washington. The person who requested the welfare check had received a text message from the suspected shooter indicating that he had “harmed others” at the home, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
The message was sent more than four hours before the call for a welfare check was made but the person who requested the welfare check didn’t see the message until later, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
The names and ages of the victims were not immediately released. Autopsies were pending.
Vancouver is about 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Portland, Oregon.
The sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to an email from KIRO 7 seeking additional information.