A father allegedly shot his estranged wife and his kids ages 9, 5 and 2 before dying by suicide late Wednesday in Oklahoma City, police said. (Scene photo by Oklahoma City affiliate News 9)
A father allegedly murdered his estranged wife and his three kids, ages 2, 5 and 9, before killing himself in what Oklahoma City police called a “massacre.”
Officers were called around 11:30 p.m. to a home on the city’s northwest side for a domestic call after a family member walked in and found the gunshot victims, according to a police press release. When officers went inside the home they found five people suffering from gunshot wounds, three of whom were deceased. The shooter, 28-year-old Reuben Armendariz, and one of the children were taken to the hospital where they later died, the press release said.
TV stations reporting from the scene showed a massive area roped off by crime tape and police investigated. A motive for the shootings has not been released.
“The investigation is in its very early stages, and detectives are currently trying to piece together the chain of events that led to the massacre,” the press release said.
The victims were identified as Cassandra Flores, 29 and Hillary, 9, Damaris, 5, and Matias Armendariz, 2.
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Ruben Armendariz and Flores were married but separated, police said.
One of Flores’ friends, Jennifer Johnson, told Oklahoma City CBS affiliate News 9 that she was in disbelief.
“It’s just not real,” she told the TV station. “I never expected that of Ruben at all. Like he was so quiet, but they’ve been together since she was like 17, so you know they’ve been together for a long time.”
A neighbor told the outlet he saw a woman drive up to the home and start screaming and several people gathering in the front yard. Another neighbor said she would often see the children play in the front yard.
“Well, things like that happen. I guess we don’t know why. I don’t have any answers for things like that,” neighbor Carol Crowell told News 9.
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