A Plainville, Conn., man shot and killed his girlfriend and two children before taking his own life on Friday afternoon, following a nearly two-hour SWAT standoff that ended when officers deployed pepper gas inside the home on Milford Street.
The incident began when a woman called 911 after her brother phoned her claiming he had shot his girlfriend and his 4-year-old daughter, and was going to kill himself, according to police.
Officers responded to the home at 36 Milford St. and secured the house and neighborhood. Initial attempts by Plainville police to reach the man, identified as Patrick J. King, 27,were unsuccessful.
The Central Region Emergency Response Team, a specialized unit of SWAT team members, was sent to the scene and made contact with King by cell phone. But after negotiating for two hours, the decision was made to deploy pepper gas into the house, according to police.
King immediately shot himself, according to police.
The SWAT team entered the house and tried to revive King, who was transported to the hospital by ambulance and later died.
The bodies of Felisha A. Matthews, 31, and her daughters Ava R. King, 4, whom Matthews shared with King, and Mileena Matthews, 12, who lived with them, were found with gunshot wounds.
There is no information on the suspect’s motive, according to police.
“This is a very dark day for the Town of Plainville and for Connecticut,” Police Chief Christopher Vanghele said in an email. “Our hearts are broken for this senseless loss, and our prayers go out for the family members that lost loved ones.”
Carlos Muñoz can be reached at carlos.munoz@globe.com. Follow him @ReadCarlos and on Instagram @Carlosbrknews.