Kenner police say a preliminary investigation leads them to believe a 29-year-old mother shot her three young children and then turned the gun on herself, on one of the deadliest days in Kenner this year.
The investigation is ongoing and police are interviewing the father of the children, but Kenner Police Chief Steve Caraway said the early signs point to the shooting being a murder-suicide.
The shooting happened Tuesday in the 3800 block of East Louisiana State Drive around 5 p.m. The victims in the shooting were identified as: Nadia Braxton, 29; Kayla Peters, 12; a 1-year-old child, Nayah Peters and a 6-month-old, Nyla Peters.
Caraway said the bodies were found by the husband. He told police that he had been at work since 6 a.m., and when he got home, he called out for his children but didn't hear anything.
"When he didn't hear anything, he eventually walked upstairs and found them, all of the kids, lying in the bed," Caraway said. Caraway added that the body of the wife was found in the same bed.
The mother suffered a gunshot wound to her forehead, Caraway said. The 1-year-old and the 6-month-old also both suffered gunshot wounds to the forehead. The Kenner Police Department hasn't released information about how the 12-year-old was killed.
Caraway said police haven't found any evidence tying the shooting to the father, but he said it's "far too early to assume anything."
Caraway said police found a gun at the foot of the bed in the room where the bodies were found. Police are going to test the mother's hand for signs of gunpowder residue.
"It's still very early in the investigation. We're interviewing the father and other family members at this time," Caraway said.
No charges have been filed in this case.
"I think the last incident we had like this in Kenner was probably 15, 20 years ago, and so it's not something that you typically see and it's very difficult – especially when you're talking about kids that young, the way they were killed and just the scene itself," Caraway said.
If you know anything about this shooting that can help investigators, call Crimestoppers at 822-1111.