A shooting in Phoenix on Feb. 23 left five people of the same family dead and now has investigators looking into whether domestic violence played role in the tragedy.
The Associated Press noted that police responded to a what was described as a "domestic situation" and house fire early Tuesday morning. When officers arrived at the scene they were fired at by the shooter inside the home as they tried to get the victims out.
AZ Central reported that after the gunfire seized police rushed into the home to find Vic and Kimberly Buckner and their daughters Kaitlin and Emma shot. The parents were pronounced dead at the scene and the children were taken to a nearby hospital where they later died from their injuries. One of the girls was in her late teens and the other was 6 years old.
The shooter was identified as Vic and Kimberly’s adult son, Alex Buckner. Authorities said that he was killed when he exchanged gunfire with police. No officers were injured during that exchange.
The family’s dog, named Bob, was rescued from the home by a law enforcement official who gave him to a relative of the Buckners.