Three women and one man were found with multiple gunshots inside their home.
Four members of a Sikh family were found shot dead inside their apartment in Ohio on Sunday. The incident happened in West Chester Township, a suburb of Cincinnati. Hakikat Panag, the patriarch of the family, along with his wife, daughter and sister-in-law were found dead, with several gunshot wounds on them, including on their heads.
Children, who were also the part of the family, were not present at the time of the incident. Police, according to reports, are investigating a forced entry into the apartment. Police were informed about the incident after another family member found the bodies.
According to media outlet Local 12, the caller informed police on 911 about his wife, mother, father and aunt being down and bleeding.
The media outlet also reported that food was found burning on the oven when police arrived. This would mean that the family may be preparing for their meal at the time of the incident.
According to West Chester Police Chief Joel Herzog, the victims appeared to have been shot to death and the murderer was not among the victims. While the names of the victims would not be released until the autopsy is completed at the coroner’s office, the local Guru Nanak Society of Greater Cincinnati has said that the victims were regular attendees of religious ceremonies at the local gurudwara.
According to Jasminder Singh, president of the society, the victims are, besides Panag, his wife Paramjit Kaur, his adult daughter Shalinder Kaur, and his sister-in-law Amarjit Kaur, Cincinnati.com reported.
Jasminder Singh said the local gurudwara members knew the victims very well and even met with them very recently. Singh said he had a cup of tea with Panag on Sunday.
The Sikh community is very tight-knit and is coming forward to support the family.
According to police, the motive is still not clear and they are yet to find a suspect.