'Crazy' mother shoots dead three then kills herself

A woman shot dead three people and then herself at her home, injuring another woman who fled into the front yard and told officers: "My mom has gone crazy."

Published: 8:23AM BST 24 Sep 2010

Officers responded to a report of gunshots at the Seattle house about 1:30 p.m and could still hear shots being fired from the house when they arrived, a police spokesman, Sean Whitcomb, said.

A man in his 50s ran into the house. Two more shots were fired and he ran back out, telling officers his wife had shot herself.

When police were able to go inside, they found the four dead, including a woman in her 50s they believe was the shooter, Mr Whitcomb said.

He added that police don't believe anyone else was involved.

In addition to the older woman, the dead included two women in their late teens and a man in his 30s, police said. Their relationships were not immediately known.

Assistant Police Chief Jim Pugel said a wounded woman — who fled the house and is expected to survive — was able to speak to officers when they arrived.

"All she said was, 'My mom has gone crazy,"' Mr Pugel said.

The woman, who is in her 30s, was in serious but stable condition at Harborview Medical Center.

Police said two handguns were recovered from the house in a lower middle-class neighborhood a block north of southwest Seattle's city limits. No motive for the shootings was known, officers said.

Bobby Miller, a neighbour, told local media that police showed up almost immediately after the shots were fired.

"I just heard gunshots. I come out and cops were all over," Mr Miller said. "Just 'bam, bam' and that was it. Then screaming over here."

Travis Rowland, 53, said he was about a block away waiting to get his truck repaired at an auto shop when he saw a woman run from the house hollering.

As police arrived, Mr Rowland said, a man "busted away from the police officers and ran into the house."

Mr Rowland said the man was inside for about 10 to 15 seconds before "there were a couple more shots, pow, pow, pow. At first I didn't know who was shooting. He came back outside."

From: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/8022036/Crazy-mother-shoots-dead-three-then-kills-herself.html