Christmas massacre: Horror As Family Of Seven Shot Dead By Crazed Gunman As They Opened Their Presents At Home

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 1:05 PM on 26th December 2011

Dailymail

Police in a Dallas suburb dubbed the ‘Christmas Capital of Texas’ searched for clues on Monday to explain the apparent murder-suicide rampage that left seven people shot dead among unwrapped holiday presents.

The dead — four women and three men, one of them believed to be the gunman — were found late Sunday morning in an apartment living room in the town of Grapevine by police answering a voiceless 911 emergency call, authorities said.

Two pistols were recovered from the home, said Sergeant Robert Eberling of the Grapevine police department, who called it a ‘gruesome crime scene’ and the worst outburst of gun violence in the town’s history.

Circumstances of the shooting remained sketchy, but Eberling said it appeared as though the bloodbath unfolded during a family holiday celebration as one man opened fire on six other people in the apartment, then killed himself.

No one was found alive by police arriving at the home, he said.

A community of about 46,000 people some 20 miles northwest of downtown Dallas, Grapevine is known for its wine-tasting salons and was recently proclaimed by the state Senate as the ‘Christmas Capital of Texas’ for its abundance of annual holiday-season events.

‘This is obviously a terrible tragedy,’ Mayor William Tate said on Sunday night in a statement given to Reuters. ‘The fact that it happened on Christmas makes it even more tragic. This appears to be a family situation and anyone who has a family will be incredibly saddened by that happened.’

Police dispatched at about 11:30am local time on Sunday, found the bodies in the first-floor living room of a two-story unit in the Lincoln Vineyards apartments, police said.

The 911 caller never spoke to police, and officers did not see the telephone when they arrived, officials said.

Eberling said he believed police had to kick in the door to enter. No neighbors reported hearing gunshots, he said.

Eberling said the victims appeared to have just opened Christmas presents when the shooting started, and there was no visible sign of forced entry or a struggle.

Police and firefighters first rushed to the Lincoln Vineyards complex after receiving an open-ended 911 call at about 11:30am, Eberling said.

‘There was an open line. No one was saying anything,’ he explained.

So police went into the apartment, located in a middle-class, suburban neighborhood of Grapevine, not far from the upscale Fort Worth neighborhood of Colleyville. The apartment is at the back of the complex, overlooking the athletic fields of Colleyville Heritage High School.

But many of the nearby apartments are vacant, and police said no neighbours reported hearing anything on a quiet Christmas morning when many people were not around.

Jose Fernandez, a 35-year-old heavy equipment mechanic who moved to the complex with his family about six months ago, said he always felt safe in the area, but is now afraid to let his 10-year-old son play freely outside.

‘This is really outrageous especially on Christmas,’ said Mr Fernandez, who was visiting family for the holiday and returned to find several police cars parked outside his home.

‘This has shocked everybody. It has scared everybody. I guess something like this can happen anywhere, but seven people dead. It’s just very scary,’ he added.

Eberling agreed the area is fairly quiet, noting this would be the first homicide in Grapevine since 2010.

Christy Posch, a flight attendant who moved to the complex about six months ago so her son could attend the high school, said she lives a few buildings away and did not hear any gunshots.

‘It’s all families. That’s why I moved here. No burglaries, no nothing,’ Ms Posch said.

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