Two young children and two adults were fatally wounded Thursday night in what appears to have been a murder-suicide inside a Manassas Park, Virginia, home, police said.
A homeowner in the 9400 block of Lanae Lane asked police to do a welfare check on his tenants, who lived in a downstairs apartment, Manassas Park police said in a Friday news release.
Police arrived at the home just after 10:30 p.m. and found four people downstairs who had apparently been shot dead, among them a 2-year-old boy and an 8-year-old girl.
The two adults who died at the scene were identified by police as Santosh Pariyar, 38, and Anju Shrestha, 36.
Police said they’re still investigating what happened. Officers found a gun at the scene.
Neighbors’ shock over deadly shooting in ‘very quiet community’
One of the children who died was a student in Manassas Park City Schools.
The school system sent a letter to families early Friday, sharing news of the student’s death and pointing to resources such as counselors who are available to students and staff.
“We encourage you to have open conversations with your children, provide space for them to express their feelings, and remind them that it’s okay to grieve. If you feel your child may benefit from additional support, please do not hesitate to reach out to us,” the letter read.
Rula Brown lives in the neighborhood where the shooting happened.
“You never know what goes on behind closed doors,” Brown told WTOP. “It’s just sad the children had to meet an end like this.”
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She called the incident “unbelievable.”
“This neighborhood is actually very safe,” Brown said. “I can take the dog out at 1 a.m. in the morning and feel safe.”
Another neighbor had a similar reaction; Mustafa Musaferzada has lived there for four years and described it as a “very quiet community.”
“It was just scary for us last night,” he told WTOP. He added there was little sleep that night from wondering what happened.
Musaferzada said the people who lived in the home seemed like a “nice family.”
A map of the area is below.
WTOP’s Scott Gelman contributed to this report.
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