A father of five is suspected of fatally shooting his wife and three adult daughters inside their suburban Chicago home on Sunday morning, police and media reports said.
Four women were fatally injured in what authorities described as a “domestic shooting” just before 11:30 a.m. inside a home on 173rd Street in Tinley Park, according to Tinley Park Public Safety and police. ABC 7 Chicago.
A man inside the home reportedly called 911 to report the massacre and was taken into custody at the scene, according to reports from police and dispatchers. Retrieved from WGN News.
“One male subject said his wife had been shot. The line was disconnected. He was not very cooperative,” the dispatcher said.
Commanders later called the scene a “massacre” when requesting additional troops.
When officers arrived, they discovered the bodies of four women, identified by the Cook County Medical Examiner as Majeda Kasem, 59. Halema Kasem, 25 years old. Zahia Kasem, 25 years old. Hanan Kasem, 24, according to local broadcasters. Each had sustained gunshot wounds.
According to local reports, a man believed to be the victim's husband and father was detained at the scene and a firearm was also recovered.
Neighbors who know the family, which includes a married couple, three adult daughters, and two adult sons, said news of the gruesome crime Sunday morning was “worrying,” given the circumstances of the victim and the alleged killer. It was shocking,” he said. “He was a very good family and had a bright future.”
“My daughter knows about them,” Charlotte Vaikas told ABC 7. “She went to school with her eldest son and employed her twin sisters. She always talked about how they were all very intelligent and had very high goals in life. .”
Some of the children reportedly had dreams of becoming pharmacists or doctors.
Village Manager Pat Carr said there were no previous law enforcement calls to the home.
The murder was the deadliest to hit Tinley Park, a village on Chicago's southwest side, in nearly 20 years.
But Kerr stressed there was no threat to the public.
“This was a home away from home,” he told reporters at a news conference about the shooting. “The scene is safe. There is only one suspect at this time.”
