An unidentified gunman killed four family members then fatally shot himself after an hourslong standoff with police in rural Washington state on Friday, authorities said.
The only survivor was a 12-year-old girl, who managed to get away from the shooter, Mason County Chief Deputy Ryan Spurling said. The girl is either a daughter or stepdaughter of the gunman, he said.
The ordeal began Friday morning in the city of Belfair when the gunman called a Mason County deputy saying he had “shot some people and had a gun to his head,” Spurling said.
Officers went to the home shortly after the call and when they arrived the gunman requested a SWAT team, Spurling said.
A standoff ensued as SWAT and Washington State Patrol deputies arrived and negotiators talked with the gunman.
The gunman was down to his last cigarette when he came outside, CNN affiliate KING reported. The man shot himself in front of deputies, Mason County Sheriff Casey Salisbury said at a news conference.
The four bodies were found in one of the 10 other buildings on the property, Spurling said.