Neighbor calls 911 after ‘loud bang.’ Police find couple shot dead with child nearby

A couple was found shot dead in their home with a child nearby, Vermont police said.

A resident of Colchester, a lakeside town north of Burlington, called 911 on March 2 after overhearing fighting and a “loud bang” coming from his neighbor’s apartment, police said in a news release.

Police were then dispatched to the scene.

“Responding officers located a male and female deceased in the apartment from apparent gunshot wounds,” police said, adding that a handgun was located nearby.

The deceased individuals have been identified as a married couple, both 37 years old.

The incident is being investigated as a murder-suicide. “Initial findings indicate that the male shot the female then turned the weapon on himself,” police said.

A child was in the home at the time of the shooting, police said. They are now staying with relatives.

When contacted by McClatchy News on March 3, a Colchester Police Department representative said that there were no further updates.

The investigation remains ongoing, police said.

Around 600 murder-suicides occur every year in the United States, according to the FBI. Most involve intimate partners and over 90% are committed by males.