Alabama boy, 14, held in murders of his family of 5 after confessing, investigators say
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A 14-year-old boy who told Alabama deputies he was in the basement when he heard gunshots upstairs was charged Tuesday with murdering his parents and three younger brothers and sisters, investigators said.
Deputies with the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office said they found five people dead in the family’s home in Elkmont late Monday in response to a 911 call from the boy who met them in the driveway, officials said. Three were confirmed dead at the scene; the two others died at the hospital.
The boy said he ran out the door when he heard the shots, but his account contained discrepancies, said Stephen Young, a spokesman for the sheriff.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Upon being confronted with some of the inconsistencies, he did admit to shooting the five family members,” Young added.
Limestone County Sheriff Sgt. Jonathan Hardiman adding caution tape at the scene of the shooting Tuesday. (Dan Busey/The Decatur Daily via AP)
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Young said investigators recovered the murder weapon, a 9mm handgun that was in the home illegally.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"This is a community that has a lot of healing to do right now," he said.
The boy’s name wasn’t released. He has been charged with the murders as a juvenile. He could be charged as an adult with capital murder, Young said.
The adults who were killed were identified as the teen's father and stepmother.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The children killed ranged in age from 6 months to 6 years old, the suspect's grandmother told Fox News on Tuesday.
Limestone County Sheriff deputies working at the scene of a shooting Tuesday in Elkmont. (Dan Busey/The Decatur Daily via AP)
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“I kept saying to myself, “Oh, my God, oh, my God,’” she said. “It’s a shock. I don’t think it has hit me yet.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The grandmother said she had no idea what the motive was for the killings. “How many problems can a 14-year-old have?” she asked.
She said she had spoken to her daughter-in-law, a school teacher, Monday morning.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The grandmother said she was told the family was in Pensacola, Fla., on a family trip and would be returning home later in the afternoon.
Elkmont is about 30 miles northwest of Huntsville.