A grandmother, 65, a young couple and two children, aged 1 and 5, were found shot dead on Wednesday morning in a suburban home in the tiny community of Manchester, Illinois.
The small village, that has a population of just 350, is in shock over the senseless tragedy that police believe occurred when an unidentified suspect entered the first-floor apartment.
The victims were identified as Joanne Sinclair, 65, her granddaughter Brittney Luark, 22, the girl's boyfriend James Roy Ralston, Nolan Ralston, 5, and Brantley Ralston, 1.
Another child, Cassidy Raston, 7, was in serious condition, Sinclair's son-in-law Brad Teeter told the Chicago Tribune.
Around 4:45am police arrived at the home when they discovered a male suspect, who tried to flee.
The suspect was ultimately captured after a dramatic shootout with the police during a car chase.
He was shot and pronounced dead at the hospital.
His identity has not been released and police will not discuss a possible motive for the senseless crime.
The family lived in a first-floor apartment of a housing development, according to state police spokeswoman Monique Bond.
The guy broke into the house,' Mr Teeter told the local paper.
'I couldn't tell you about the guy, never met him, never seen him, never talked to him. Apparently broke into the home of my wife's mother and shot everybody inside.'
'I'm at a loss right now,' he said.
The 7-year-old child was taken to a Springfield, Illinois hospital with a gunshot wound. She is listed in stable condition.
Schools in Manchester, which is located 50 miles west from Springfield, Ill. and about 90 miles north of St. Louis, Mo., were closed after officials from the local sheriff warned school administrators that the suspect was still on the loose early Wednesday morning.
Les Stevens of the North Greene School District says he was told that the victims had been shot to death.
The district has since been informed that the suspect was captured.
The tiny community of Manchestor registered a population of just 354, according to the 2000 census.
The village has a total area of 1.06 square miles.
'It's a tragedy,' Mayor Ron Drake told the Tribune.
'I've lived here for 43 years and my wife's lived her for all of her life and there's never been a homicide.'
Source: AbcLocal
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