Monday, July 10, 2017 | 11:05 p.m.
A man shot and killed a woman and their child and turned the gun on himself in the southwest valley, a gruesome scene that was discovered Monday night, according to Metro Police.
People conducting a welfare check in a house near Rainbow Boulevard and Cactus Road found the three bodies and a dead dog, Metro Lt. Dan McGrath said in a briefing broadcast online. Detectives believe the shooting happened at least 24 hours prior.
The man was in his 40s, the woman in her 30s, and the child was about a year old, McGrath said.
Trying to quell worries from the neighborhood, McGrath said detectives are confident the suspect is the dead man. Screams heard Monday night were from those who found the bodies.
“The question we want to know is why … why did this happen?" McGrath said, imploring victims of domestic violence and their loved ones to report incidents before they escalate.
Metro officers were once dispatched to the house relating to an argument that didn't escalate to violence, but further details were not immediately available Monday night, McGrath said. It didn't appear that the man had a history of violence, and he was a legal gun owner.
The family lived together, McGrath said. Another child the woman had was not home at the time of the shooting. McGrath extended his and Metro’s condolences to the family of the victims.
“It’s really sad and tragic,” McGrath said. It’s not often that detectives have to investigate scenes like these, he added.
The Trauma Intervention Program of Southern Nevada, a volunteer counseling group that works in conjunction with first responders, sent a representative to the scene to provide “emotional and practical support,” the organization said on Twitter.
Further details were not immediately available. The Clark County Coroner’s Office will identify the deceased.
