Midlands woman and two kids killed, another injured by man in murder-suicide, cops say
Four people are dead — including two children — after an overnight shooting that left another child hospitalized, the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office said Monday.
Deputies responded to a domestic violence murder-suicide around 7 p.m. Sunday, Chief Deputy Matt Trentham told The State.
The shooting happened in a home just outside of St. Matthews, Trentham said.
A 37-year-old man who lived at the home with a woman and her four kids opened fire on the family, according to the sheriff’s office. One of the four children was the man’s biological child, and that child along with another and their mother were killed, Trentham said. Both of those children were identified as teenagers, according to the sheriff’s office.
The man then turned the small-caliber handgun on himself, according to Trentham.
Another child was injured when shot in the arm, while a fourth child was unharmed, according to the sheriff’s office.
The surviving children ran to a neighbors’ house to report the shootings. The injured child was taken to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and is in stable condition, Trentham said.
The four children ranged from 12 to 18 years old, according to the sheriff’s office.
The man was not married to the woman, Trentham said.
“Any incident involving the loss of life is tragic, but in this case the senseless violence is unimaginable,” Calhoun County Sheriff Thomas Summers said in a news release. “This entire family and the community are grieving over this senseless act. No one should be capable of this level of violence.”
The Calhoun County Coroner’s Office identified the victims as Shanta Singleton, 37, Essence Stroman, 15, and Trevay Stroman, 12, according to multiple media reports. The man will not be publicly identified until his family has been notified, Trentham said.
Information on a motive for the shooting that followed the domestic argument was not available, but the incident continues to be investigated by the sheriff’s office and coroner’s office.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
This story was originally published May 18, 2020 at 9:12 AM.
