Photo: Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle/AP
On Thursday, the Harris County Sheriff’s Department said that Hayden Burns, 15, shot and killed his sister, Hayley Burns, 17, and her friend Kadience Candena, also 17, before turning the gun on himself.
The homeowner was out of town during the deadly incident.
Harris County senior deputy Thomas M. Gilliland told PEOPLE the investigation is “still open and ongoing, our investigators are still trying to determine the motive of this tragic incident.”
Dr. Anka Vujanovic, director of the University of Houston’s Trauma and Stress Studies Center, toldKHOU11that this type of tragedy is unimaginable but there are often warning signs.
“Murder-suicide, I think, is one of the most unfathomable acts of violence in our society,” she said.
She added, “Really listen when people talk about suicide, talk about dying from suicide or about hurting themselves or anyone else in any way.”
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A next-door neighbor discovered Hayley’s body in a hallway with a gunshot wound to the head, and Cadena’s body was found with multiple gunshot wounds in a bedroom. Hayden’s body was in another bedroom, the authorities said, according to the Houston CBS affiliate.
Evidence found at the scene also shows that one firearm was used in all three deaths.
“It’s really surprising to see something like this happen out here to one of us,” neighbor David Givans told KHOU11. “It’s a close community for the most part. We all watch out for each other.”
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go tosuicidepreventionlifeline.org.
source: people.com
