Police found seven bodies in an apartment in the US state of Texas after what officials described as a Christmas Day murder-suicide.
Two handguns were discovered at the apartment in Grapevine, Texas, near Dallas, and there were no signs of forced entry.
"We believe the shooter is one of those dead in the apartment," said Grapevine police Lieutenant Todd Dearing.
All seven people were found near a Christmas tree in a living room area of the two-story apartment.
"It\'s a great tragedy, something our department has not seen before," said Grapevine police Sergeant Robert Eberling. "You read about these types of reports, but they always seem to happen somewhere else."
Dearing said that authorities believe it was a family Christmas gathering, with the victims ranging in age from 18 or 20 to their 50s or 60s. Their names were not immediately released.
© Copyright AFP Agence France-Presse GmbH - All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed. All reproduction or redistribution is expressly forbidden without the prior written agreement of AFP.
KATALOG FIRM W INTERNECIE