Five in six children killed in Oklahoma shooting

Six people were shot dead early Tuesday at an Oklahoma home, including five young children, and a suspect in the murders has been taken into custody, police said. Police responded at around 1:30 a.m. to a call from several people shot dead at a house in Muskogee, a town of just under 40,000 residents about 45 miles southeast of Tulsa, police said in a statement.

While there, officers encountered a person with a gun, the statement said. A police officer shot the suspect and missed him as the suspect fled the scene, but was subsequently taken into custody.

Officers at the scene found a man and four children dead, and a fifth child died in a Tulsa hospital, police said.

Muskogee Police Officer Lynn Hamlin described the killed youths as “little children” but said police were not yet of exact age. She said authorities did not yet have a motive but did not believe any other suspects were involved.

“We don’t believe it is random, but we just don’t have any details on why or what happened yet,” Hamlin said.

A woman was also taken to hospital with potentially fatal injuries, she said.

Authorities did not disclose the name of the arrested person or any further details about those who died. Police were due to release more information later Tuesday.