Full story
Hopkins daycare killings
A man killed his wife and their 7-year-old daughter at a home daycare in Hopkins, Minnesota, before taking his own life, police said Wednesday.
“Officers who responded Wednesday morning to a report of a stabbing at the home daycare in Hopkins found two adults and the child dead”
Hopkins Police Chief Brent Johnson said officers responded to a report of a stabbing at the 200 block of Tyler Avenue North around 9 a.m. and found two adults and a child dead in the basement while the 41-year-old male suspect was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on the upper floor.
Police also said a 78-year-old woman was found dead at a residence in Burnsville in what was believed to be a connected incident, with Burnsville Police Chief Matt Smith saying investigators believed the tragedies were linked.
ABC News reported that six other children were unharmed and had been reunified with their parents, while The Guardian said the killings were domestic-related homicide and that there were no outstanding suspects and no ongoing threat to the public.
Johnson described the scene as “horrific,” and said a parent called police after witnessing the attack while bringing a child to Brown Bear Childcare.
Officials and community reaction
Hopkins Police Chief Brent Johnson told reporters, “There’s no worse scenario than this, where you drop off your child somewhere you think is safe, and you get that phone call,” describing the impact on parents and the community.
The Guardian reported that Johnson said the six other children were evacuated and reunited with their parents, and that none were harmed, while he declined to say how the victims died.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said, “I know that our hearts and our prayers are with the people of Hopkins and any families that have been impacted,” and said he had already touched base directly with Hopkins Mayor Patrick Hanlon.
The Independent quoted Johnson saying the scene was a “rarity” in Hopkins and that his officers were shaken, adding that he could see “on the look on their faces that this was one of those ones that you’ll remember for your entire career, if not life.”
Authorities emphasized there was no ongoing threat to the public and that investigators were still looking for a motive, according to MPR News.
Investigation and what’s next
Police said they were still working to determine the timeline of the incidents between Hopkins and Burnsville, and that officials had not released the names of the victims pending family notification.
“around 9 a.m., Hopkins Police Chief Brent Johnston said”
NBC News reported that the man fatally shot himself after the stabbing deaths of his family members at the home daycare in Hopkins around 9 a.m., and that hours later Burnsville police found a 78-year-old woman after a family member called police around 12:25 p.m.
The New York Times said officials were investigating the killing of another relative in a nearby suburb and that Chief Johnson told reporters, “We do not have a motive,” adding that the assailant did not leave a note.
MPR News reported that the man who shot himself did not leave a note, and that investigators were still looking for a motive while authorities said they would release more information as the investigation continued.
The Associated Press said police believed the 41-year-old man fatally shot himself after stabbing his wife and child at their in-home daycare in Hopkins, and that investigators believed the two tragedies were linked, with no clear motive determined yet.
