Authorities say the gunman killed himself after an hours-long standoff with police that began after he called 911 to say he had shot and killed his family

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

A gunman killed four people in a home in rural Washington state before fatally shooting himself after an hours-long standoff, authorities said.

Sheriff’s chief deputy Ryan Spurling of Mason County said the gunman had called 911 on Friday to say he shot and killed his family. A girl who survived has been taken to the hospital.

Authorities say officers negotiated with the man for about three hours before they entered the home and found the people dead.

Spurling said the gunman shot and killed himself in front of officers. “The original report I got was that he shot himself out on the porch and had come out of the building.”

A young girl also managed to leave the home and was not shot, Spurling said. “We had a 12-year-old that escaped out of the house at some point, and our officers got her and transported her with an ambulance.” He said he did not know the girl’s condition or her relationship to the shooter but suspected that they were related.

Spurling said he suspected the four victims were also related to the shooter but has been unable to confirm their identities and notify family members.

The shooter was armed with a handgun, said Spurling, adding that federal agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were investigating the crime scene.

A Swat team surrounded the home in Belfair, about 25 miles south-west of Seattle.

The sheriff’s office posted photos on Twitter on Friday morning of their vehicles lined up on a rural road outside the house as they attempted to secure the scene and negotiate with the suspect.

The photos showed a number of heavily armed officers monitoring the scene behind their vehicles.

Mason County Sheriff (@MasonCoSheriff) Pics for earlier. pic.twitter.com/mH167LFIur

The suspect “apparently came outside the home and shot himself”, Mason County sheriff Casey Salisbury told the Seattle Times. “It’s a terrible tragedy.”

Neighbors also reported hearing gunshots at around 8.15pm the previous night, according to the Times. Jack Pigott, who lives near the crime scene, told the paper he heard the shots and thought the gunfire was from target shooting.

“The gunshots I figured, was target practice,” Pigott said. “I never thought more about it.”

The sheriff’s office reported that the scene was secure nearly four hours after they first alerted the public about the standoff.