A community in Missouri is on edge and searching for answers after four members of the same family were murdered. Violence erupted inside a suburban home and then spilled into the streets overnight.

The 911 call taker heard several shots during the call and a hysterical female in the background. By the time St. Charles city police officers got to the home, still draped with Christmas lights, there was little they could do.

The scene inside, police said, was "horrific." Zoe and Jonathan Kasten, just 8 and 10 years old, and their grandmother, Jane Moeckel were shot to death. Another woman was also shot and later died at the hospital.

When officers arrived, they observed a vehicle leaving the area at a high rate of speed.

Officers said they tried to stop the person behind the wheel — believed to be the suspect — which led to a gun battle that left one of their cruisers riddled with bullet holes. But it didn't end there.

A short time later, a person with that same description attempted to carjack a woman. Investigators said he stabbed the woman, then took off again.

After a seven-hour manhunt, police tracked down the suspect after they got a call that a man was inside this convenience store and bleeding.

Late Saturday, prosecutors revealed the murders were not random but committed by Richard Emery, the live-in boyfriend of the 39-year-old victim. He's been arrested on 15 different charges, including first-degree murder.

"What can possess someone to take the life of a child, is beyond on me — and we may never know," said prosecutor Tim Lohmar.

Police said investigators are still looking into what may have motivated all of this. The carjacking victim is going to recover from her physical injuries and no officers were hurt.