Father of five 'shoots dead wife and three intelligent, high-achieving adult daughters' in their Chicago home before calling police to 911 dispatch scene described as a 'massacre'
- A mother and her three daughters were shot to death at around 11:30 a.m. Sunday morning in a home in Tinley Park, near Chicago.
- A 911 call was made from the home where the shooting occurred, but by the time emergency services arrived, the four women were dead
- A man has been taken into custody and a weapon was recovered at the scene in what police described as a 'massacre'
A father of five is accused of fatally shooting his wife and three daughters Sunday in a small community outside Chicago in what a 911 dispatcher described as a “massacre.”
Police were called just after 11:30 a.m. by a man at the home in Tinley Park. The victims were pronounced dead at the scene minutes later at 11:36 a.m., according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.
The victims were identified as Majeda Kassem, 53, and her three daughters, including twins Halema and Zahia, both 25, and their younger sibling Hanan Kassem, 24.
“A male subject said his wife had been shot. The line is disconnected. He wasn't really cooperating,” the coordinator initially said.
A mother and her three daughters were shot and killed by her husband around 11:30 a.m. Sunday morning in Tinley Park, near Chicago.
A 911 call was made from the home where the shooting occurred, but by the time emergency responders arrived, the four women were dead.
After the shooting, detectives were on scene throughout the afternoon and evening
Residents seemed completely shocked by what had happened at the family's suburban home
The same dispatcher referred to the scene as 'a massacre' as more emergency units were requested to be sent to the house.
Tinley Park Public Safety Department said a suspect was still inside the home when police arrived and was taken into custody following the “domestic shooting.”
A firearm was also found at the scene, police said Chicago Tribune.
“The perpetrator is in custody and the scene is safe,” read a statement shortly after the man's arrest. “Due to ongoing investigations, we ask residents to stay away from the area.”
Neighbors were completely shocked by the news, describing the residents as 'such a good family who had a bright future', with some children, including two adult sons, aspiring to become pharmacists or doctors.
'My daughter knows them. She went to school with the eldest son and employed the twin sisters. She always talked about how they were all very intelligent and that they had very high goals in life,” Charlotte Vaitkus said ABC-7.
Police officers were still investigating the scene of the shooting in a residential area of Tinley Park on Sunday afternoon.
Police closed the street in Tinley Park, near Chicago, on Sunday
Crime scene tape still surrounded the house at sunset Sunday night
Locals stood by in shock after learning of the quadruple murders
Many local residents seemed completely dazed when they heard tragic news
Village Manager Patt Carr said there was no danger to the public after the shooting.
“This was isolated from the house. The scene is safe. There is only one suspect at this point,” Carr told reporters.
'It's a tragedy. Not just for the family, but for all the surrounding neighbors out there.”
The village of about 55,000 residents is located about 30 miles southwest of Chicago. The shootings are the deadliest incident to occur in the area in nearly two decades.