Oklahoma neighbors of a family are shocked and saddened by the gruesome murder-suicide being reported by police on Monday.
A 10-year-old boy awoke to find his parents and three siblings shot to death and called police from their Oklahoma City home at about 9:35 a.m., police said.
After an investigation, police said that 42-year-old Jonathon Candy got into an argument with his 39-year-old wife, Lindsay Candy, in the middle of the night and then shot her several times, killing her.
“At that point, he systematically went through the home, shooting and killing their children,” Master Sgt. Gary Knight said to reporters at a media briefing on Tuesday.
“It’s unclear what made him want to go through the home, killing the children,” he continued. “But make no mistake about it, what happened in that residence was nothing short of a massacre. Those children were hunted down and killed.”
Investigators said Jonathon Candy shot 18-year-old Dylan Candy, 14-year-old Ethan Candy, and 11-year-old Lucas Candy, then turned the gun on himself.
Knight said they were trying to figure out why the father killed three of his sons but allowed one son to survive.
“I know that’s a question everybody has,” he said. “That’s a question we have, too. In the end, nobody ever is going to have an answer for that.”
Investigators have also been so far unable to discover a motive for the massacre, and they may not ever be able to piece it together.
“We have no calls to that residence regarding any type of domestic abuse,” said Knight.
Neighbors and friends of the Candy family are equally stunned and horrified.
“All day, we just couldn’t imagine,” Michael Burcham told the Oklahoman newspaper. “He must have really been having a hard time.”
Burcham said that Jonathon Candy had previously confided in him that he had suffered from depression.
Before the horrifying massacre, Jonathon and Lindsay Candy had been interviewed by a news station and spoke glowingly about a local bakery and deli shop. With Lindsay at his side, Jonathon recommended the breakfast burritos and carrot cake.
The Oklahoma City Thunder basketball team confirmed that Jonathan Candy had worked for them as a part-time game-night engineer.
The surviving child was placed with his relatives. They have set up a GoFundMe charity page to help with funeral costs and to help with caring for the boy.
Here’s a news video about the massacre:
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