SPANAWAY, Wash. — The Pierce County Sheriff's Department said two young children and their parents are dead in a murder-suicide in Spanaway, Washington .
According to Sheriff's Department spokesman Ed Troyer, deputies and SWAT officers went to the home about 50 miles south of Seattle after a man called 911 at 1 a.m. Tuesday and said he killed his wife and two children.
Triple homicide-suicide in the 5700 block of 209th ST E. Deceased are two toddlers under 5 years old and their mother. Suspect is father who committed suicide after calling 911 and stating he was responsible for homicides. Transitioning from SWAT operations to investigations.
— Pierce Co Sheriff (@PierceSheriff) March 13, 2018
“He thanked us for our time, but said by the time we got there he would be deceased as well, and he followed through with that,” Troyer said.
SWAT officers arrived and tried to talk the man out of the house, but received no response.
When officers eventually entered the house, they found the bodies of a 29-year-old man, a 33-year-old woman and their two children, a 2-year-old boy and a 4-year-old girl. All had gunshot wounds. The wife and children were in their beds.
The man was a member of the Air Force who was stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. The family was from New Hampshire.
Police are investigating what events led up to the homicides. Troyer said there had been no previous police calls at that address.
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