Six people were found dead in an apparent murder-suicide after a lengthy armed standoff with police in Virginia, officials said.
Kelly O’Sullivan, Public Information Officer with the Chesapeake Police Department, confirmed to NBC News that the suspect in the murder-suicide was 26-year-old Cameron Dooley.
O’Sullivan said that four of the five victims in the shooting were identified the suspect’s father, Steven Todd Dooley, 50, his mother Lori Dooley, 54, his sister Brooke Dooley, 17, and his brother Landon Dooley, 22. The fifth victim, an adult female, has not been identified.
According to O’Sullivan, a barricade situation unfolded after officers found the body of the suspect’s brother Landon, at a residence in the city around 3:30pm on Wednesday.
"Further investigation" led officers to a nearby home where they negotiated the armed Cameron Dooley for "several hours," police added.
"When officers made entry into the residence, five additional deceased bodies were located to include the suspect," O’Sullivan said in the statement.
All of the victims were related and sustained gunshot wounds.
The suspect’s father was a recently retired police officer with the Chesapeake Police Department, officials confirmed.
According to Kellie Goral, Public Information Officer with Chesapeake Public Schools, Brooke Dooley was a high school student at Deep Creek High School since 2012. The school division has grief counselors at the school today.
It was not immediately clear if the family members were killed before or during negotiations with the armed suspect.
The deadly shooting left residents of the Deep Creek community in Chesapeake, VA shocked at the gruesome violence.
“It’s crazy, it’s too much. I’m right beside it,” Demetrius Peacock, a neighbor of the Dooley’s, told NBC’s Virginia affiliate WAVY. “My family and I don’t feel safe.”
According to WAVY, a vigil is planned for 7 p.m. Thursday night at the Temple Baptist parking lot.
