Authorities in Oklahoma responded to a heartbreaking scene on Monday (April 22) and found five people dead from gunshot wounds, while a ten-year-old boy was unharmed.
Oklahoma City Police Sgt. Gary Knight said that 42-year-old Jonathon Candy got into an argument with his wife Lindsay, 39, and fatally shot her multiple times. He then shot and killed three of his children, Dylan, 18, Ethan, 14, and Lucas, 12, before turning the gun on himself.
Candy left his ten-year-old son alive. He woke up, found his family shot to death, and called 911. The young boy was placed in the custody of other family members.
"Make no mistake. What happened in that residence was nothing short of a massacre," Knight said during a press conference. "The children were hunted down and killed."
Investigators are puzzled as to what caused Candy to snap and kill his family or why he left his youngest son alive. There were no records of domestic issues with the family.
"It's something we'll never know," Knight said.
The Candy family said they were in shock by what happened.
"Our entire family has been left shattered and confused with so many questions we won't ever have answers to," the family said in a statement. "Jonathon was the one whose jokes and goofy attitude kept everyone smiling."
"Aside from these events, his children and wife were his entire life. I simply can't fathom what went on, but please, hug your family tight. It's going to be a very long healing process for everyone affected."