A father in Utah shot and killed both of his sons before he turned the gun to himself in what appears to be an apparent double murder-suicide, police said.
The family incident took place at a home in South Jordan on Tuesday, the father is reportedly a man in his 30s and was helping his ex-wife that day to watch the two boys, identified on GoFundMe as 10-year-old Ezra, and 8-year-old Seth.
Sandra Ang, the mother of Ezra and Seth came home from work that day around 4 p.m., she was met with a tragic discovery after finding her two sons and ex-husband suffering from gunshot wounds, FOX13 reported.
South Jordan Police Department officials were originally called to the home for a medical call of someone in full arrest at the home, South Jordan Police Lieutenant Matt Pennington said.
But responding officers arrived at a “pretty chaotic” scene, Pennington said. “What we have come to find out we have is what we believe to be a domestic murder-suicide at this point,” he told Deseret News.
The mother was found by officers holding Seth, who was transported to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries. The boy later died at the hospital, the outlet reported.
Officials said the father was not living at the home at the time of the incident and there had been reports of domestic calls at the home dating back at the end of last year. Pennington said he thinks that was about the same time when the couple filed for divorce and went their separate ways.
“It’s a tough call for all of us, this is one of the worst ones you’re going to go on,” Pennington told Deseret News. He added its particularly though because most of the officers who are involved in this case are parents themselves.
A neighbor of Ang set up a GoFundMe page, where she identified both of the children and the mother, no identity has been released by officials yet. The father’s identity was not provided in the page, but he is reported to be the biological father of the two boys.
“This beautiful family suffered an unthinkable loss and were victims of domestic violence,” Shaun Stevenett who organizes the page wrote.
Stevenett described Ezra as an “artistic, imaginative boy who loved to throw parties. He [Ezra] loved making others feel special and was an amazing friend.”
Seth was described as “a ball of energy,” who loved to be outside and play with his friends, “finding adventures wherever he could.”
The fundraiser has so far drawn more than $30,000 in donations. The page features multiple photos of Ezra and Seth together with their mother, Sandra Ang.
Domestic Violence Helpline
Anyone affected by domestic violence, including friends and family members concerned about a loved one, can receive confidential help, advice, information, or crisis intervention by calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or visiting the website thehotline.org, which offers a live chat service.
More than 12 million people in the United States are victims of abuse by an intimate partner—24 people per minute, according to the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
“1 in 4 women (24.3 percent) and 1 in 7 men (13.8 percent) aged 18 and older in the United States have been the victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime,” it reported.
