4 Found Fatally Shot in California Home

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A man, a woman and two children were found shot to death Monday inside a Sacramento County house, while a third child was wounded.

Sheriff's deputies said they received a 911 call at 10:40 a.m. from a person who said there were "people bleeding" at a house about 10 miles south of downtown Sacramento. A deputy was dispatched and found the bodies, sheriff's Sgt. R.L. Davis said.

The caller was identified later as a relative of the victims. Names were not immediately released.

Davis said investigators had not determined whether the case might be a murder-suicide or if the victims had been shot by someone who had fled the scene. Firearms were found inside the house, but it was unclear if any of them had been used in the shootings.

It appears the victims were members of the same family, but Davis said he didn't know how they were related.

"Obviously, we will look at every aspect of the situation, what led up to the shootings, what was the situation inside the house," he said.

Deputies questioned neighbors, but none reported hearing or seeing anything unusual.

Davis said the wounded child, a girl, was taken to the University of California, Davis Medical Center. Her wounds, while severe, did not appear to be life-threatening, he said.

A spokeswoman at the hospital, Carol Gan, said she couldn't release any information about the girl's condition.

The Sacramento Bee reported that personnel from the county's Child Protective Services, accompanied by sheriff's deputies, made a welfare check at the house on Nov. 24 and that a 14-year-old girl was removed because of allegations that she was being abused.

A spokeswoman for the county's Department of Health and Human Services, Laura McCasland, said she could not discuss the reason for the CPS visit.

"Right now, this case is under investigation," she said. "It's so fluid it would be improper to make any remarks on the case. As the facts develop, we will review our files to determine what, if anything, can be released."

Davis said he did not know why Child Protective Services made the visit.