Editor’s Note: This article contains distressing details about a fatal partner violence case and may upset some readers.
Police in Ontario are investigating after a total of five people, three of whom were children, were found dead at two separate homes in Sault Ste. Marie on Monday night.
Police say they responded to a 911 call at 10:20 pm on Monday and found a 41-year-old dead of gunshot wounds.
Ten minutes later, officers responded to a second call where they found a 45-year-old who was injured via gunshot. Police then found a six-year-old, seven-year-old, and 12-year-old who had all been fatally shot.
They then found a 44-year-old who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Police say the deaths at both locations are connected and the result of intimate partner violence.
In a statement, Matthew Shoemaker, the Sault Ste. Marie mayor, called the shootings an “unspeakable tragedy” and says the community grieves with the families and friends of the shootings, “as we try to reckon with this inconceivable act of violence.”
There are no words to adequately address such a tremendous loss as our community has experienced. This is an unspeakable tragedy and on behalf of @CitySSM, I extend our collective condolences and support to the family and loved ones of the victims. https://t.co/Og3D7KVeTW pic.twitter.com/XYaOBcovU6
— Matthew Shoemaker (@SooShoe) October 24, 2023
“Sault Ste. Marie is a strong and caring community, and I encourage people to look out for one another and offer support during this incredibly challenging time,” says Shoemaker.
This is a developing story and will be updated.