Four Found Dead In Joliet In Apparent Murder-Suicide
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A mother, father, and their two children were killed in an apparent murder-suicide Wednesday night in Joliet.
Around 10:20 p.m., Joliet police responded to a shooting at a home near Whitley and Wilson Avenues. Officers found a man, woman and two children dead on the second floor of the home.
Police said the shooting appears to have been a murder-suicide.
Jacquelon Gaskin is the 28 yr old woman who was killed family members say alongside her two young children in their Joliet home. Police say it was a murder/suicide. The killer, according to sources and family members, was Gaskin's estranged boyfriend. @cbschicago pic.twitter.com/vafM15Qp0W
— Mike Puccinelli (@mikepuccinelli) February 28, 2019
The Will County Coroner's office identified the victims as 34-year-old Brandyn Lee, 28-year-old Jacquelon Gaskin, 6-year-old Gianna Lee, and 1-year-old Giovanni Lee.
Police have not said who was responsible for the shootings, but Gaskin's mother said her daughter and two grandchildren were killed because she was in the process of breaking up with Lee, her longtime boyfriend.
"He was like a controlling type of guy, and I think she was trying to break away from that, and I think that was the trigger, because otherwise why would you? That was his last bit of control, was to take everybody away, not just himself," Rusha Brooks said. "She was loved, and she is loved by a lot of people, and he just didn't disrupt his life, he disrupted a lot of lives."
Police have not confirmed that information, but law enforcement sources said the investigation likely will show Lee shot and killed his girlfriend and their two children before turning the gun on himself.
Autopsies have been scheduled for Friday.
Gaskin, 28, was studying to become a nurse. Her family said she absolutely doted on her children.
Family members were stunned to learn of the shooting. They thought Gaskin and her boyfriend always had a loving relationship.
"I never seen this coming. I wasn't aware of this. I seen my daughter on Saturday, smiling, my grandchildren; just like every other time I see her. We did not expect this at all," Terrance Brooks said.
The sister & brother who were killed in a murder suicide in Joliet. Gianna was six. Her brother Giovanni was just 1-1/2. Family members say they were murdered by their father who also killed their mother before killing himself. Police have not confirmed. @cbschicago pic.twitter.com/B1fxNcwcba
— Mike Puccinelli (@mikepuccinelli) February 28, 2019
Neighbors said they didn't hear anything unusual Wednesday night. They said the family kept to themselves, and were rarely seen outside the home.
Police spent most of the night and morning going in and out of the home, gathering evidence. They have said they are not seeking any suspects in the incident.