HARVEY, La. — Four members of a family were found shot to death inside of a home in what investigators are describing as a murder-suicide in Harvey on Thursday morning.
Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joe Lopinto said deputies were dispatched to the 1100 block of Curtis Street around 7:50 a.m. after receiving a 911 call from an adult man who said deputies would find four bodies at the home.
Lopinto said the call was short, and the man in the recording said phrases similar to "we can't live like this anymore' and "You'll find four bodies when you get here."
"That's what we found, unfortunately," Lopinto said.
The sheriff said deputies found a 20-year-old man, a 13-year-old boy and a mother and father dead inside the home. Lopinto said that the 20-year-old was a stepson and authorities had already contacted his next of kin.
"It looks like financial problems and stuff have left a destitute situation, and they took it into their own hands unfortunately this morning," Lopinto said.
Jefferson Parish PIO Jason Rivarde tells WWLTV that the investigation leads them to believe that both parents committed suicide after fatally shooting the children.
"Some of the information could make me believe that maybe they decided to do this together from the parents - the mother and father," Lopinto said. "But I'm going to let the coroner's office make that determination."
The sheriff said that the father was formerly employed as a law enforcement officer "from years ago." Lopinto would not name which agency the man worked for, except that it was not in Jefferson Parish.
The shooting in Harvey comes hours after another murder-suicide in Jefferson Parish. Lopinto said two brothers were found dead following a shooting in the 2600 block of Mesa Drive in Marrero. Investigators believe one man shot the other before taking his own life, though the shooting remains under investigation.
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.