Man accused of killing wife, child at in-home daycare center in Minnesota: Police
Other children were at the daycare when the incident happened, police said.
A man who co-owned an in-home daycare center with his wife is believed to have killed his wife and their child before taking his own life while other children were at the home, police in Minnesota said Wednesday.
Officers who responded Wednesday morning to a report of a stabbing at the home in Hopkins found two adults and the child dead, police said.
Hopkins Police Chief Brent Johnson called the incident "horrific."
Six other children who were in the daycare at the time were unharmed and have since been reunified with their parents, according to police. They were all "very, very young" children, Johnson said.
A parent had arrived at the daycare to drop off their children when the incident is believed to have been unfolding, prompting a large police response just after 9 a.m. CT, according to the police chief.
Investigators are working to determine what weapons were involved, Johnson said.
Police did not release the names of the parents or their child.
"This is a horrific, tragic situation for any community, especially here in Hopkins, where we don't see this type of crime," Johnson said during a press briefing. "The impact is felt not only here but elsewhere for every parent who has a child in a daycare setting or anywhere where they don't have immediate control over their child. It's heartbreaking."
There is no outstanding threat to the community, and this is believed to be an isolated, domestic incident, Johnson said.
Hopkins, a city of about 20,000 residents, is located approximately 10 miles west of Minneapolis. The mayor said the community is "reeling."
"We operate as a small community, and everyone knows each other," Hopkins Mayor Patrick Hanlon said during the briefing. "There are no strangers in this community, so we are all reeling with this information right now as a community."
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.