A 29-year-old airman stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington killed his wife and two small children before committing suicide, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department said Tuesday.

Airman in murder-suicide ‘despondent’ over pending divorce Clinton Field, a 29-year-old airman stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington, has been identified as the shooter who killed his wife and two small children early Tuesday morning before turning the gun on himself.





Before killing himself at a house in the Frederickson area, just east of the base, the unidentified airman called 911 early Tuesday morning and said he had killed his 33-year-old wife, 4-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son, the department said in a release on its Facebook page.

The victims were identified as Samantha Field and the couple's children, Ava and Ashen, according to the county medical examiner's office. The alleged shooter was Clint Field.



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

Troyer is at scene. Toddlers are 1 male and 1 female Under 5 years old. Suspect was a member of the air force and stationed at JBLM. Ages and more info to follow when confirmed — Pierce Co Sheriff (@PierceSheriff) March 13, 2018

The sheriff’s department said that early information from military investigators suggested the suspect had recently been despondent over a pending divorce, and may have been treated at some point for depression-related issues. The department had never been called to the house before, and had no indication of a history of domestic violence.

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Pierce County Sheriff's Department detectives and forensics personnel respond to an apparent triple homicide and suicide in the Frederickson area of Washington, just east of Joint Base Lewis-McChord. (Via PCSD tweet)

This is a breaking news story. It will be updated as events develop.

Information from the Associated Press was included in this report.