Police in a Dallas suburb dubbed the "Christmas Capital of Texas"
searched for clues on Monday to explain the apparent murder-suicide
rampage that left seven people shot dead among unwrapped holiday
presents.
The dead -- four women and three men, one of them believed to be the
gunman -- were found late Sunday morning in an apartment living room
in the town of Grapevine by police answering a voiceless 911 emergency
call, authorities said.
Two pistols were recovered from the home, said Sergeant Robert
Eberling of the Grapevine police department, who called it a "gruesome
crime scene" and the worst outburst of gun violence in the town's
history.
Circumstances of the shooting remained sketchy, but Eberling said it
appeared as though the bloodbath unfolded during a family holiday
celebration as one man opened fire on six other people in the
apartment, then killed himself.
No one was found alive by police arriving at the home, he said.
A community of about 46,000 people some 20 miles northwest of downtown
Dallas, Grapevine is known for its wine-tasting salons and was
recently proclaimed by the state Senate as the "Christmas Capital of
Texas" for its abundance of annual holiday-season events.
"This is obviously a terrible tragedy," Mayor William Tate said Sunday
night in a statement given to Reuters. "The fact that it happened on
Christmas makes it even more tragic. This appears to be a family
situation and anyone who has a family will be incredibly saddened by
that happened."
VOICELESS 911 CALL
Police dispatched at about 11:30 a.m. local time on Sunday found the
bodies in the first-floor living room of a two-story unit in the
Lincoln Vineyards apartments, police said.
The 911 caller never spoke to police, and officers did not see the
telephone when they arrived, officials said. Eberling said he believed
police had to kick in the door to enter. No neighbors reported hearing
gunshots, he said.
Eberling said the victims appeared to have just opened Christmas
presents when the shooting started, and there was no visible sign of
forced entry or a struggle.
"By all appearances, they're all part of the same family," Eberling
said. "It's a gruesome crime scene to say the least, with that many
victims in that (small an) area suffering gunshot wounds."
Two of the dead were believed to be in their 50s or 60s, while the
others appeared to be young adults, ranging in age from about 18 to 20
years, according to police.
Authorities did not immediately identify the victims and did not
speculate on a possible motive for the shooting.
The bodies remained in the apartment well past dark as investigators
worked into the early hours of Monday morning processing the crime
scene, police said.
Lincoln Vineyards is a middle-income complex near Colleyville Heritage
High School, one of the area's most highly regarded schools.
Several neighbors told Reuters that children frequently played in
front of the apartment, and they regularly saw young adults leaving
for work.
Vanessa Barerra said the killings were especially disturbing in light
of Grapevine's reputation as a safe place to live.
"I did research and chose to live here because of the safety and the
school district," she said. "I'm glad my kids weren't here. They're
with their dad."
Jeremiah 10:2- Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen,
3 For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out
of the forest, the work of the hands ofthe workman, with the axe.
searched for clues on Monday to explain the apparent murder-suicide
rampage that left seven people shot dead among unwrapped holiday
presents.
The dead -- four women and three men, one of them believed to be the
gunman -- were found late Sunday morning in an apartment living room
in the town of Grapevine by police answering a voiceless 911 emergency
call, authorities said.
Two pistols were recovered from the home, said Sergeant Robert
Eberling of the Grapevine police department, who called it a "gruesome
crime scene" and the worst outburst of gun violence in the town's
history.
Circumstances of the shooting remained sketchy, but Eberling said it
appeared as though the bloodbath unfolded during a family holiday
celebration as one man opened fire on six other people in the
apartment, then killed himself.
No one was found alive by police arriving at the home, he said.
A community of about 46,000 people some 20 miles northwest of downtown
Dallas, Grapevine is known for its wine-tasting salons and was
recently proclaimed by the state Senate as the "Christmas Capital of
Texas" for its abundance of annual holiday-season events.
"This is obviously a terrible tragedy," Mayor William Tate said Sunday
night in a statement given to Reuters. "The fact that it happened on
Christmas makes it even more tragic. This appears to be a family
situation and anyone who has a family will be incredibly saddened by
that happened."
VOICELESS 911 CALL
Police dispatched at about 11:30 a.m. local time on Sunday found the
bodies in the first-floor living room of a two-story unit in the
Lincoln Vineyards apartments, police said.
The 911 caller never spoke to police, and officers did not see the
telephone when they arrived, officials said. Eberling said he believed
police had to kick in the door to enter. No neighbors reported hearing
gunshots, he said.
Eberling said the victims appeared to have just opened Christmas
presents when the shooting started, and there was no visible sign of
forced entry or a struggle.
"By all appearances, they're all part of the same family," Eberling
said. "It's a gruesome crime scene to say the least, with that many
victims in that (small an) area suffering gunshot wounds."
Two of the dead were believed to be in their 50s or 60s, while the
others appeared to be young adults, ranging in age from about 18 to 20
years, according to police.
Authorities did not immediately identify the victims and did not
speculate on a possible motive for the shooting.
The bodies remained in the apartment well past dark as investigators
worked into the early hours of Monday morning processing the crime
scene, police said.
Lincoln Vineyards is a middle-income complex near Colleyville Heritage
High School, one of the area's most highly regarded schools.
Several neighbors told Reuters that children frequently played in
front of the apartment, and they regularly saw young adults leaving
for work.
Vanessa Barerra said the killings were especially disturbing in light
of Grapevine's reputation as a safe place to live.
"I did research and chose to live here because of the safety and the
school district," she said. "I'm glad my kids weren't here. They're
with their dad."
Jeremiah 10:2- Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen,
3 For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out
of the forest, the work of the hands ofthe workman, with the axe.
4 They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails
and withhammers, that it move not.
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