Four children are dead after a 15-year-old boy shot and killed three of his siblings before turning the gun on himself, authorities say.
Three other children in the home in Fairbanks were uninjured in the incident Tuesday, according to a news release from Alaska State Troopers. The parents of the children were not home when the shooting occurred at about 4:17 p.m.
Troopers spokesperson Tim DeSpain tells the Associated Press the victims of the shooting were ages 5, 8, 17 and 15. The uninjured children all were under the age of 7.
DeSpain said the gun was a “family gun but beyond that, it’s all still part of the ongoing investigation.” He could not say if the 15-year-old had had any previous interactions with law enforcement, saying that would be part of the investigation.
The Office of Children’s Services has been notified and the bodies were sent to the State Medical Examiner’s Office. A motive for the shooting has not been reported and the investigation by Alaska State Troopers is ongoing.