Five members of the same family and their pet dog were discovered dead inside a Minnesota home following a mental health crisis incident that turned deadly, police said.
Officers responded Wednesday afternoon to a residence in Hermantown to perform a welfare check, but were unable to make contact with the individual of concern, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported. The local authorities then contacted their colleagues in nearby Duluth, who in turn received information leading them to a home in the city’s East Hillside neighborhood.
Authorities also received a tip that a person inside the home had access to a large amount of weapons.
“Due to the intelligence discovered, numerous law enforcement and public safety agencies responded to the scene,” according to a Duluth Police Department news release. “The home that agencies responded to was known to the subject.”
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Because of the safety risks involved, responding performed a “methodical search of the premise” and officers then gained access to the home. Inside, they discovered the bodies of five people and a dog.
Their deaths remain under investigation and their names have not yet been released. They are all believed to be related.
Neighbors told the Tribune a family of four lived at the home in question.
“Things happened today that can’t be undone. Tonight we are a community in pain and shock, sharing a sorrow for the loss of our people,” Duluth Mayor Emily Larson said in tweet.
“More info will be provided as identities and details are confirmed. TY to the first responders who answered the call. My heart, like yours, absolutely hurts for the pain of loved ones and the fear people likely experienced on their final day here with us.”