5 family members, including 3 children dead in shooting in California

Representational image (Photo: iStock)


Five members of a family, including three children, were dead in a shooting incident at a residence in Southern California on Saturday, according to police,

According to the San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper, the incident took place in Paradise Hill, a city located 35 km north of US-Mexico border, Xinhua news agency reported.

The police said they took the first 911 call at 6.49 a.m.and when they arrived on scene, they found several people from gunshot wounds.

As officers headed to the house in the Paradise Hills neighborhood in southeastern San Diego, a relative who lives next door called 911 and reported hearing arguing and what sounded like a nail gun being fired.

A three-year-old boy, a 29-year-old woman and a 31-year-old man were found dead inside.

A five-year-old boy and nine-year-old boy were taken to a hospital but also died.

An 11-year-old boy was also taken to the hospital to undergo surgery. His condition has not been released.

Matt Dobbs from San Diego Police Department said that a mother and four children lived in a granny flat adjacent to the main house, where other family members lived, but it was unclear how many people total lived in the compound.

A gun was found in the house. Investigators didn’t say which family member fired the shots but believes that person is now dead.

On Thursday, a student pulled a gun from his backpack and opened fire at a Southern California high school that left two students dead and wounded three others before shooting himself in the head on his 16th birthday.