A mentally unstable gunman confessed on Facebook to murdering four relatives at their Minnesota home before turning the gun on himself on Wednesday, police said.
Brandon Taylor Cole-Skogstad, 29, shot his aunt, uncle, two younger cousins and their dog as the family slept on Tuesday night, police said. He later killed himself with the murder weapon when cops arrived at the house the next afternoon, officials say.
A SWAT team discovered the carnage when they entered the house after the last shot was heard, cops said.
The gruesome scene was uncovered after police in nearby Hermantown were asked to carry out a welfare check in Cole-Skogstad. Relatives claimed he was in crisis and planning to kill family members, authorities said.
Hermantown police then asked their counterparts in Duluth to check the house where the family lived – but they did not arrive in time, police say.
Cole-Skogstad had confessed to the mass murder on Facebook before cops arrived, writing that he had made an “absolutely horrific choice,” Duluth Police Chief Mike Tusken said.
The killer wrote that he “suffered many years of mental illness” but “almost never asked for help because I felt I never deserved it,” Tusken confirmed.
The victims were Riana Lou Barry, 44; Sean Christopher Barry, 47; Shiway Elizabeth Barry, 12; and Sadie Lucille Barry, 9, the chef said.
“It’s a terribly traumatic event. … We all have very heavy hearts,” Tusken said, adding that it was the worst homicide case he had seen in his 30-year career.
With AP wires
New York Post
If you have any query regarding content, please comment below. Thanks
