A 49-year-old man shot and killed his 9-year-old daughter Sunday afternoon at a home in Rochester, Minn., then turned the gun on himself, authorities said Monday.
The initial report of the shooting came in at 4:02 p.m., when the man’s brother called police. When Rochester police officers arrived at the home, they found the two dead in the basement, said Lt. Casey Moilanen.
The man lived at the home with his brother’s family, Moilanen said. The daughter spent time there as well as with her mother, who also lives in Rochester, Moilanen said. The child was there for an afternoon visit at the time of the shooting; her mother arrived to pick her up as scheduled shortly before officers arrived at the home.
Officials said they expect to release the names of the girl and father on Tuesday.
Autopsies were scheduled to be performed Monday morning.
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"We plan to be present, and hopefully, get a full understanding of what happened," Moilanen said.
Other family members, including the man’s brother, sister-in-law and their three children were in the home, the report says. The brother reported hearing loud noises from the basement, where the man lived, but didn’t immediately check what happened.
Moilanen said law enforcement had had contact with the man in the past but wouldn’t comment on what kind of contact that was. He also had no comment about any mental health issues that might have existed.
Investigators and the crime scene unit will be back at the home Monday, he said, completing interviews and reviewing information.
What they learn, Moilanen said, "depends on the scene. It can speak a lot about what happened, and I think this one will."
The school the child attends has been notified of the incident, he said. The school was not identified.
The family is "shocked, saddened, upset," Moilanen said. "A child was lost, a brother was lost, a father was lost."
It was the first murder in the city of Rochester this year.
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