A family of eight – including five children – have been found shot dead inside a rural home in Enoch City, in the US state of Utah.
Officials did not disclose a motive for the shooting or the exact relationship between the family members.
Police found the bodies on Wednesday while conducting a welfare check at the property.
City manager Rob Dotson said the town of about 8,000 people was in shock.
“This community at this time is hurting. They’re feeling loss, they’re feeling pain and they have a lot of questions,” Mr Dotson said in a video statement.
He added that the family was well-known in the town, and that police would release further information as the investigation continued.
Enoch City is a small agricultural town in the south-western part of the state, about 245 miles (394km) south of Salt Lake City.
The five children attended schools across the Iron County School District, which released a statement expressing its sorrow.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox tweeted his condolences for those affected by the “senseless violence”.
COMMENTS