A man shot dead seven members of his family before killing himself in Enoch city in Utah, United States. The dead include the man, his wife, their five children, and his mother-in-law.
The shooting has left the community in shock, reported BBC.
Police found the bodies of eight people in a house on Wednesday night that sent shockwaves across the town of 8,000 people, the BBC reported citing Enoch city manager Rob Dotson.
The man has been identified as 42-year-old insurance salesman Michael Haight, who opened fire on his wife, 40-year-old Tausha, his 78-year-old mother-in-law Gail Earl, and his five children before he killed himself, the BBC report mentioned city officials as saying.
The five children include three girls aged 17, 12 and 7 years, and two boys, 7 and 4 years old. The names of the children have not been made public.
City Manager Rob Dotson said that their bodies were discovered by police on Wednesday, after someone reported that the wife had missed a scheduled appointment, prompting a welfare check at the family’s home.
Dotson said that each of the victims appeared to have sustained a gunshot wound. The officials also confirmed that the wife had filed for divorce on 21 December.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox tweeted his condolences for those affected by the “senseless violence”.
Our hearts go out to all those affected by this senseless violence. Please keep the community of Enoch in your prayers. https://t.co/mCjejDhYGf
— Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox (@GovCox) January 5, 2023
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden also offered their condolences, calling the incident a “tragic shooting”.
“Less than a month after we marked 10 years since the Sandy Hook tragedy, another mass shooting has claimed the lives of five more children in Enoch City,” White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
,@POTUS and @FLOTUS are mourning with the Enoch City, Utah community in the wake of a tragic shooting that has reportedly claimed the lives of five children and multiple adults in their family home.https://t.co/ikVCDYr0sp
— Karine Jean-Pierre (@PressSec) January 5, 2023
According to BBC, Mayor Chestnut said his community had received offers of support from state and federal governments, including from the US National Security Council.
“We’re very grateful to the greater world at large who are mindful of us at this time,” Chestnut said.
Read The White House Official Statement here