Three children among victims shot to death in Maryland, sheriff says

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Two adults and three children were found shot to death Friday at a Maryland house after a man called 911 from the home to report a shooting, authorities said.

Cecil County Sheriff Scott Adams said a man, a woman and three children — in the 5th, 7th and 8th grade — were found Friday morning in a large two-story home in Elk Mills. Authorities did not immediately release the identities of the victims, but said there is no ongoing threat to the public.

The shooting occurred on a cul-de-sac in an area of residential streets interspersed with wooded areas about 60 miles (97 kilometers) northeast of Baltimore and a few miles west of the Delaware state line.

“It’s a horrific day, and I know everybody’s prayers are appreciated. … My phone hasn’t stopped ringing from people concerned about this and upset about this,” Adams said.

“It’s grief is what it is at this point,” Adams said. “Anytime you have a loss to these levels. Any loss is terrible, but a loss to this level, which is not a common thing — it’s certainly not a common thing here in Cecil County — it’s tragic and terrible and it takes a long time for people to process.”

Deputies were called to the home just after 9 a.m. by a man who said three children and a woman had been shot and killed, Holmes said. Deputies made entry to the home and also found a man dead. A semi-automatic handgun was located near the dead man.

The sheriff declined to say what the motive might have been. He said that his office has no records of deputies responding to calls at the house.

The bodies were in different locations in the house. Video from the scene showed the home with cream siding and red shutters and a detached garage surrounded by police tape. Numerous law enforcement vehicles were at the scene.

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