Minnesota Man Fatally Shot Two Women, Two Children Before Killing Himself

A man in Minnesota man fatally shot two women and two children before taking his own life this week, police said.
The Duluth Police Department in Minnesota reported that all five victims knew each other but did not provide details on their connections or a possible motive for the shootings.
On Thursday, the Duluth Police Department issued a statement on social media saying that officers responded to a welfare check call in the 6000 block of Tacony Street at approximately 2:10 p.m. local time.
Duluth, a city of about 90,000 people, is located approximately 135 miles north of Minneapolis.
“Upon arrival, Officers located two deceased individuals with gunshot wounds,” the Duluth Police Department said in their original statement on the crime.
They discovered 47-year-old Erin Abramson and 15-year-old Jacob Nephew dead from apparent gunshot wounds.
Shortly after their discovery, police identified 46-year-old Anthony Nephew as a suspect. Police then “set up a perimeter at his residence in the 4400 block of West 6th Street” in an effort to contain the suspect.
“Officers made entry into the home and located a 45-year-old female and a juvenile deceased from what appears to be gunshot wounds. The suspect, a 46-year-old male, was also located deceased with what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound,” the Duluth Police Department said in the press release. “Individuals were known to each other. There is no present threat to the community.”
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims’ families and loved ones involved in this tragic event. This incident remains an active and ongoing investigation,” police added.
The Victims
In an updated statement on Facebook, the Duluth Police Department released the identities of the two other victims that were found dead in the suspect’s home.
According to police, inside the suspect’s home in the 4400 block of West 6th Street, “45-year-old Duluth resident Kathryn Nephew (Ramsland), 7-year-old Duluth resident Oliver Nephew were located deceased from apparent gunshot wounds.”
Though shocking, murder-suicides are far from rare: some 1,200 Americans die in such incidents each year, according to research by the nonprofit Violence Policy Center, from 2022.
Although there is no agency comprehensively tracking the toll of murder-suicides in the U.S., what data there is indicates that they are on the rise.
According to the Gun Violence Archive (GVA), 2022 saw the highest number of murder-suicides using firearms on record. Some 670 occurred last year, up from 594 in 2021 and 570 the year before. As of March 9, there have have been 134 murder-suicide incidents involving guns, the GVA reports, meaning 2023 is on course to top last year’s total.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text “988” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.