Alaska State Troopers told local media that four children are dead in the state after a 15-year-old boy is believed to have shot three of his siblings before taking his own life. The state troopers received a report of a shooting in the Skyridge Drive Subdivision, north of Fairbanks, just before 4:20 p.m. on Tuesday, July 26, according to NBC affiliate KTUU, which is based in Anchorage, Alaska.
Troopers spokesperson, Tim DeSpain, said a neighbor made the report. The affiliate said that responding troopers found four children dead in the residence from apparent gunshot wounds. According to the troopers, the children's parents were not home when the shooting transpired.
The statement said that three other children were at the home and were not injured. DeSpain said the kids who were not injured were all under the age of 7, while those dead were ages 17, 15, 8, and 5. He said all the children who died were siblings.
Motive behind the shooting still being investigated
Troopers said the state Office of Children's Services had been notified about the shooting. Clinton Bennett, a spokesperson for Alaska's Department of Family and Community Services, under which the office falls, said via email that the office would not provide any information due to rules and regulations involving the confidentiality of all those involved in the specific cases.
Bennett wrote that the office would also not provide any information involving a case with an open investigation. According to troopers, their investigation showed that a 15-year-old boy shot three of his siblings before shooting himself. DeSpain said the question of motive is still being investigated at this point.
The children's bodies were sent to the state medical examiner's office, according to the Associated Press. DeSpain revealed that the gun used was a family gun, but beyond that, it is all still part of the ongoing investigation. DeSpain could not say if the 15-year-old boy had any previous interactions with law enforcement, saying that would be part of their investigation.
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Nearly 1,300 kids die from guns every year
Fairbanks is located in central Alaska, about 360 miles north of Anchorage. The Office of Children's Services and Alaska State Troopers did not immediately respond to overnight requests for comment from NBC News.
According to Nationwide Children's, a gun in the home can be very dangerous, especially for kids. Nearly 1,300 children die yearly from firearms, and many more are seriously injured. The American Academy of Pediatrics said that the best way to prevent gun-related injuries to children is to remove guns from home.
However, if one chooses to keep a gun in the house, it must be locked and unloaded, and the ammunition must be locked and stored in a separate location. One in three families with kids has at least one gun in the house in the United States. More than 22 million kids are estimated to live in homes with guns.
