Police in Connecticut are investigating after a man allegedly murdered his girlfriend and two children before dying by suicide during a standoff with police.
The triple murder-suicide unfolded inside a home in Plainville on Friday, March 26.
A woman called 911 just before 4 p.m. on Friday, claiming her brother admitted to shooting and killing his girlfriend and their 4-year-old daughter.
She also told police he had claimed he was going to hurt himself.
When police drove out to the home, they attempted to contact the owner, Patrick King, but were unsuccessful.
King, 27, spoke with a SWAT negotiator for two hours, but refused to leave the home peacefully. SWAT police then fired a canister of pepper gas in the home in an attempt to coerce King’s surrender.
Mother of 3 in Connecticut Beaten to Death in Apparent Murder-Suicide
As the gas was filling the home, King died by suicide.
SWAT members breached the home after hearing gunfire and found Felisha Matthews, 31, and Ava King, their 4-year-old daughter, shot to death. Mileena Matthews, Felicia’s 12-year-old daughter from a previous relationship, was also found shot to death.
The weapons used in the domestic incident were all registered to King.
According to the Hartford Courant, the couple had just moved into the home in January.
Mileena was a middle school student in Plainville, the paper reported.
“Our hearts go out to the family’s friends and everyone in this community who is grieving and searching for answers,” said Plainville Town Council chairman Christopher Wazorko, according to the Courant. “The loss of life is deeply painful for this close-knit community, and we stand together in sorrow and compassion for all affected.”
FOX 61 spoke to one of Mileena’s classmates, Niko, who said she was always seen smiling.
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“I heard that she was home or she wasn’t. I was just confused. It started with a bunch of cars, and then it was a SWAT truck in our driveway,” Niko told the local outlet. “She wasn’t at school too much; she was absent like two or three times a week.”
The Middle School of Plainville plans to provide mental health resources available to students on Monday, March 30, as they return to class.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
