Four Members of Sikh Family Shot Dead in Ohio, USA
The Indian consulate in New York said it was in close communication with police
Three women and a man were found dead – with gunshot wounds – in their home in a suburban Ohio community, a coroner confirmed on Tuesday, 30 April.
No suspects have been identified so far.
Butler County's Dr Lisa Mannix said all four deaths were homicides. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, police continued their search for clues.
Members of a nearby Sikh faith temple said the four family members had worshipped there, and the Indian consulate in New York said it was in close communication with police.
West Chester Township spokeswoman Barb Wilson said in a statement on Tuesday that while "many questions have been raised about Sunday's homicides and a connection to the victims' faith/nationality, there is no reason to believe that this is a hate crime."
The coroner listed the victims as: Shalinderjit Kaur, 39; Amarjit Kaur, 58; Parmjit Kaur, 62, and Hakiakat Singh Pannag, 59. Their relationships weren't specified.
As part of a property-wide search, divers returned on Tuesday to a pond near the home in an apartment complex. Wilson said no new information was available on the search.
A man who called 911 late on Sunday, 28 April, said he found the four "on the ground and bleeding." Police Chief Joel Herzog said police had interviewed the caller, but he wasn't in custody. Herzog also said Monday that there were reportedly other people who lived at the residence, including children who weren't there at the time and are currently staying with relatives.
According to a police report, the discovery of the victims was reported by Gurpreet Singh, 36, a resident of the apartment.
Such violent crime is rare in the township of some 62,000 people roughly 20 miles (323 kilometers) north of Cincinnati.
Herzog reassured residents on Monday, 29 April, that he didn't think there was a threat to the community and that the killings appear "isolated."
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