- A mother and her three daughters were shot and killed by her husband around 11:30 a.m. Sunday morning in Tinley Park, near Chicago.
- A 911 call was made from the home where the shooting occurred, but by the time emergency responders arrived, the four women were dead.
- Their father was taken into custody and a weapon was recovered at the scene
A father of five shot and killed his wife and three of his daughters in a small community outside Chicago on Sunday in what a 911 dispatcher described as a “massacre.”
Just after 11:30 a.m., police were called by a man in the home. The victims were pronounced dead at the scene minutes later at 11:36 a.m., according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office.
The women were identified as Majeda Kassem, 53, and her three daughters, including twins Halema and Zahia, both 25, and their younger sibling Hanan Kassem, 24. All had been shot.
“A male subject said his wife had been shot. The line is disconnected. He wasn’t really cooperating,” the coordinator initially said.
A mother and her three daughters were shot and killed by her husband around 11:30 a.m. Sunday morning in Tinley Park, near Chicago.
A 911 call was made from the home where the shooting occurred, but by the time emergency responders arrived, the four women were dead.
Residents seemed completely shocked by what had happened at the family’s suburban home
The same dispatcher referred to the scene as ‘a massacre’ as more emergency units were requested to be sent to the house.
Tinley Park Public Safety Department said a suspect was still inside the home when police arrived and was taken into custody following the “domestic shooting.”
A firearm was also found at the scene, police said Chicago Tribune.
“The perpetrator is in custody and the scene is safe,” read a statement shortly after the man’s arrest. “Due to ongoing investigations, we ask residents to stay away from the area.”
Neighbors were completely shocked by the news, describing the murdered residents as ‘such a good family who had a bright future’, with some children, including two adult sons, having ambitions to become pharmacists or doctors.
Police closed the street in Tinley Park, near Chicago, on Sunday
After the shooting, detectives were on scene throughout the afternoon and evening
Crime scene tape still surrounded the house at sunset Sunday night
Locals stood by in shock after learning of the quadruple murders
‘My daughter knows them. She went to school with the eldest son and employed the twin sisters. She always talked about how they were all very intelligent and that they had very high goals in life,” Charlotte Vaitkus said ABC-7.
Police officers were still investigating the scene of the shooting in a residential area of Tinley Park on Sunday afternoon.
Village Manager Patt Carr said there was no danger to the public after the shooting.
“This was isolated from the house. The scene is safe. There is only one suspect at this point,” Carr told reporters.
‘It’s a tragedy. Not just for the family, but for all the surrounding neighbors out there.”
The village of about 55,000 residents is located about 30 miles southwest of Chicago. The shootings are the deadliest incident in almost two decades.
Law enforcement officers and local residents could be seen at the scene well into the evening on Sunday
Many local residents seemed completely dazed when they heard tragic news
Two local residents are seen at the scene on Sunday evening while the police are still present