A gunman murdered six family members and then died by suicide during a series of shootings on Monday in Muscatine, an eastern Iowa city on the Mississippi River across from Illinois, police reported.
An initial investigation indicated the shootings resulted from a domestic dispute, according to the Muscatine Police Department, though specifics of the motive were not disclosed.
Four victims were discovered shot dead inside a residence after police responded to the first gunfire reports shortly after noon local time.
Although the suspect fled before officers arrived, he was swiftly identified as Ryan Willis McFarland, 52, of Muscatine, and was located on the city’s riverfront trail near a pedestrian bridge, Police Chief Anthony Kies said at a news briefing.
He died by suicide while officers were speaking with him, police said.
After information suggested additional victims, police recovered the bodies of two additional men believed to have been shot by McFarland — one in a nearby home and another at a business.
All victims were believed to be the gunman’s family members, Kies said, and have not been publicly identified. An ABC television affiliate reported that at least two of the victims were children.
The police chief told reporters that McFarland had a prior criminal record but declined to provide further details.
Muscatine, a city of approximately 24,000 residents and the county seat of Muscatine County, lies about 155 miles east of Iowa’s capital, Des Moines.
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