A dad reportedly killed a woman and their child before he died by suicide in a suspected murder-suicide that took place outside of a Minnesota daycare.
Police responded to Brown Bear Daycare in Hopkins, Minnesota, around 9 a.m. on Wednesday, August 12, after they received reports of a stabbing, according to CBS News.
Authorities said that the man and woman owned the residential childcare operation together. The relationship status between the pair at the time of the shooting is not currently known, though authorities said they believe the minor victim was their child.
Six children had already been dropped off at the daycare before the stabbings took place. However, it’s not currently clear if any of those children witnessed the attack.
The stabbings were reported to 911 when a parent saw the bodies of the victims and shooter as they dropped off their child.
Police said that all six surviving children at the daycare were unharmed, and they have since been reunited with their parents.
“There’s no worse scenario than this, where you drop off your child somewhere you think is safe, and you get that phone call,” Hopkins Police Department Chief Brent Johnston said.
While the names of the suspect and victims have not been revealed, police said that the man and woman were both 41 years old and the girl was 7 years old and that they were all family members.
Police are currently investigating to determine a motive for the killings. Authorities said that both of the victims died from apparent stab wounds.
Johnston said that the suspected murder-suicide was a “rarity” in Hopkins and that the responding officers were heavily impacted by the outcome of the crime.
“I could see on the look on their faces that this was one of those ones that you’ll remember for your entire career, if not life,” Johnston said.
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Meanwhile, Hopkins Mayor Patrick Hanlon thanked authorities for their response to the incident as he briefly addressed reporters on the morning of the incident.
“We are all reeling with this information right now as a community,” he said, per NBC 5.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey also reacted to the incident shortly after it occurred. “I know that our hearts and our prayers are with the people of Hopkins and any families that have been impacted. I have already touched base directly with Hanlon and offer any assistance we can provide,” he said, according to KARE.
“The City of Minneapolis stands with Hopkins. We are not strangers to crisis, and when it takes place, we work together. That’s exactly what we’ll be doing here,” Frey added.