Five people are dead, including two children, after police cited a “mass shootings case” in a house in York County, South Carolina on Wednesday night.
police identified a suspect in a nearby house after hours of searching. A sixth person was injured and rushed to a local hospital for serious gunshot wounds, said Trent Faris, spokesman for the York County Sheriff’s Office press conference.
A doctor, his wife and their two young grandchildren were found in the apartment and died according to a Tweet from the York County Sheriff’s Office. The police did not release any information about the suspect.
Dr. Robert Lesslie, 70, his wife Barbara Lesslie, 69, and their grandchildren Adah Lesslie, 9 and Noah Lesslie, 5 were pronounced dead at the scene of the crime, according to the York County Medical Department. James Lewis, 38, was found dead outside. Lewis was working at home at the time Police said.
Police said a suspect was “found in a nearby house” in a tweet shortly after 1:30 am Thursday, adding, “There is no active threat to the community.”
Faris said the officers were called to the scene at around 4:45 p.m. He said Dr. Lesslie, a well-known doctor in the area, is his own doctor who grew up.
“Dr. Lesslie was one of those people everyone knows,” he said. “He founded Riverview Medical Center in Rock Hill and it’s been a staple in Rock Hill for years.”
Lesslie has practiced in the area since 1981 and founded Calls & Riverview Hospice and Palliative Care, according to Riverview House his website. He and his wife have four children and eight grandchildren, according to a website bio. They lived in Rock Hill, South Carolina with their golden retriever, several miniature horses, goats, donkeys, and chickens. He liked to play golf and bagpipes.
“That doesn’t happen here,” Faris said at the press conference. “It’s one of those strange things that a lot of people have a hard time understanding.”
Contributor: The Associated Press
Contact News Now reporter Christine Fernando at cfe[email protected] or follow her on Twitter at @christinetfern.
