Six people died at a small frame house in Marion County - from gunshots and smoke inhalation - in a tragic murder-suicide on Thursday night.
Marion County Sheriff Bo Burnett called it “one of the worst things I’ve seen in my 43 years in law enforcement.”
The sheriff said law enforcement responded Thursday night to a shooting on Pine Street in the Sequatchie community and found the single-family residence burning.
Sheriff Burnett said the suspect was well known to authorities and he called this “a domestic shooting.” Sheriff Burnett said among the dead were two children along with their mother and grandmother. The sheriff said one adult was taken to a hospital suffering from a gunshot wound and is in undetermined condition.
Sheriff Burnett said the investigation has been turned over to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and district attorney. The bodies of the victims were taken to the TBI crime lab in Nashville for autopsies.
Sheriff Burnett said everyone has been accounted for and there was no threat to the community.
A neighbor on Pine Street told of hearing gunshots and breaking glass. The house where the shots came from was found to be on fire.
The bodies of the victims were taken to Nashville for autopsies.
It was unclear how many died from gunshots and how many from the fire.