Indiana family of five found dead in apparent murder-suicide
5 found dead, including 3 children, in Northwest Indiana home, police say
Five people, including three children, were found dead inside a home in Lake Station, Indiana, on Friday afternoon, police said.
LAKE STATION, Ind. - Five people, including three children, were found dead inside a home in Lake Station, Indiana, on Friday afternoon, police said.
Family of Five Killed in Indiana
What we know:
Officers were dispatched around 2:44 p.m. to a mobile home in the 6700 block of 9th Avenue for a welfare check.
Police obtained a search warrant for the home and found five people dead inside.
Investigators believe it was an isolated incident and said there was no threat to the public.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office identified the victims on Saturday: Briana Payne, 27; Alayna Payne, 4; Ava Payne, 6; and Aurorah Payne, 7. They died of gunshot wounds, and their deaths were ruled homicides.
The coroner’s office also identified Robert Payne, 31, who died of a gunshot wound. The coroner confirmed Saturday afternoon that Robert Payne's death was ruled a suicide.
Legal Help Firm posted a photo of the family on their Facebook page, shared below:
The law firm claims Robert fatally shot the woman and three children before taking his own life.
What they're saying:
A neighbor told FOX 32 on Saturday that while they’d heard occasional arguments, nothing seemed to escalate.
"We've heard occasional arguments, but it would never seem like anything escalating. We also have not seen a lot of police activity here previously," the neighbor said.
The Lake County Coroner David Pastrick expressed his condolences to the family.
"On behalf of Lake County Coroner David Pastrick and the entire staff of the Lake County Coroner’s Office, our hearts go out to the family of this extremely unfortunate and devastating tragedy. Please hold your families and loved ones close as we mourn together as a community the loss of innocence," said Lake County Coroner David Pastrick.
The Lake Station Police Department also extended sympathies.
"On behalf of the Lake Station Police Department, we offer our sincerest condolences to the family affected by this tragic event," said Lake Station Police.
What we don't know:
Further details on the shooting haven't been released. We'll bring more updates to this story as they become available.