A Kansas man shot and killed five of his family members, including four young children, then fatally shot himself inside their home, officials said.
The shooting unfolded in Winfield, a small city of about 11,000 residents in southeast Kansas, on Aug. 11, according to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. The Winfield Police Department responded after they received a call at about 8:50 a.m. from the man, identified as 53-year-old Ronald H. Williams Sr., who told dispatchers he had killed his family and intended to kill himself.
The victims were identified as Kelly L. George, 44; Carol A. Williams, 9; Ronald H. Williams Jr., 7; Sarah K. Williams, 5; and Kelly M. Magee-Williams, 3.
Gunman called 911
Ronald H. Williams Sr. called 911 about 8:50 a.m. on Aug. 11 to report he had killed his entire family and was about to turn the gun on himself, Winfield police chief Robbie DeLong said at a news conference, reported the Topeka Capital-Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network.
He said Winfield police happened to be in the area, and were approaching the house when they heard a single gunshot, which was thought to be Ronald H. Williams Sr. shooting himself.
Officers stayed back from the house, establishing a perimeter, until deciding at 10:57 a.m. to “breach” the entrance, DeLong said.
After doing so, they found the six people deceased inside, he said.
There was no ongoing threat to the public, he said.
Suspect showed ‘erratic behavior’ before shooting: Police
Winfield police have had some contact within the past few weeks with Ronald H. Williams Sr., who had been reported to have shown “erratic behavior,” DeLong said.
“I can’t say that anything would have indicated that we would be where we are today,” he said.
Ronald H. Williams Sr. was reported to have shown aggressive behavior by confronting and yelling at people, but those allegations were “not enough really to act on,” he said.
Winfield police had also received reports of shots being fired in the area, but upon following up they were never able to locate a source, he said.
Ronald H. Williams Sr. was a registered sex offender, according to the website of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.
Kansas Department of Corrections records show the 6-foot-6, 213-pound Williams was released Jan. 15, 2016, from the state prison system, where he’d served time off and on since 1994 on convictions for theft committed in 1993 in Wyandotte County; attempted indecent liberties with a child and battery committed in 1997 in Wyandotte County; and battery, aggravated battery and violating a protective order, all committed in 2005 in Franklin County.
Williams also committed 32 prison disciplinary violations, state corrections department records show.
Motive remains undetermined
Investigators were still seeking to identify a motive for the shootings.
Winfield is the county seat of Cowley County. It is located about 45 miles southeast of Wichita.
DeLong said that in his 20-plus years with the Winfield Police Department, he wasn’t aware of anything as devastating having happened there.
“I can’t remember anything remotely close to this,” he said.
Murder-suicides rampant in the US
About nine murder-suicides happen each week in the United States, according to a study released in April by the research group Violence Policy Center.
The study examined murder-suicide reports in the first half of 2025, during which time 237 incidents left 526 people dead. Guns were used in 87% of the murder-suicides, according to the center. The majority of the victims (76%) were women. Men were the alleged perpetrators in 92% of the cases.
In another apparent murder-suicide on Aug. 12, authorities in Minnesota said a man killed his wife and child while other children were present inside a home daycare in a Minneapolis suburb. Police in that case were notified by a parent who was dropping off a child at the daycare. Six children around the ages of 5 or younger were unharmed and reunited with their families, police said.