Authorities are investigating a murder-suicide that left six people dead, including four children, inside a home in south-central Kansas on Tuesday.
DeLong said officers who were working a traffic accident about two blocks away responded immediately. Upon arriving at the scene, they heard a single gunshot ring out from inside the home as they were approaching the residence.
The police chief said the officers retreated and a perimeter was set up around the home, following standard protocol as there was no indication of any additional loss of life. Authorities were finally able to breach the front door just before 11 a.m.
Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) Special Agent in Charge Jason Diaz told reporters Tuesday that six people were found dead inside the home, including the male suspect, Ronald Williams Sr., 53.
The victims were identified as Kelly George, 44, and her four children—Carol Williams, 9; Ronald Williams Jr., 7; Sarah Williams, 5; and Kelly Magee-Williams, 3—whom she shared with the suspect.
Diaz said George and the children were believed to already have been dead when police arrived at the scene.
"I believe when [Williams Sr.] called 911 that he was accurate in what he said," Diaz noted. "When officers arrived on scene, that final gunshot wound was a self-inflicted one."
Winfield Police worked the scene in conjunction with the KBI, with assistance from several other agencies, including the Cowley County Sheriff's Office, the Sumner County Sheriff's Office, the Winfield Fire/EMS Department, the Southern Kansas SWAT team, and Kansas Highway Patrol.
Officials said the incident was isolated and there was no ongoing threat to the public at this time. Authorities have not released any additional details about what may have led up to the fatal shootings, and investigators are still working to establish a motive in the case.
DeLong told reporters that local police had previously had contact with Williams Sr. in the past few weeks, including multiple calls involving erratic behavior.
One neighbor, who did not share her name, told KWCH 12 News that she heard screaming and yelling from inside the home prior to the killings.
"What led to this? I want to know," the woman said. "How do you get to that point to ... how do you kill your own family?"