Milpitas father killed wife, 2 kids before turning gun on himself: police
Milpitas Police say 4 found dead inside an apartment was a murder suicide involving a couple and their 2 children
Milpitas police say the four people they found dead inside an apartment appear to be a murder suicide: a couple and their two young children. Neighbors say they're surprised and saddened. People have left flowers outside the family's apartment.
MILPITAS, Calif. - Four people were found dead in a Milpitas apartment after a man shot his wife and two children before turning the gun on himself, police said Thursday.
Milpitas Lt. Tyler Jamison identified the family as Vinh Quang Nguyen, 36, his wife, Chau Bao "Betty" Pham, 36, and their 9-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter. Jamison said it appears Nguyen carried out the killings with a handgun legally registered to him.
All four died from a single gunshot wound in the apparent murder-suicide.
Bouquets of flowers had been left outside the family's apartment Thursday night.
"Just before the holidays too. It's sad," said neighbor Geffrey Taylor, who lives just a few doors from the family.
Some neighbors said the apartment management notified them of the deaths through an email.
Jamison said it appears the killings happened Saturday at the Turing Apartments on McCandless Drive. The bodies were discovered Tuesday around 9 p.m. after a welfare check.
Authorities said family members grew concerned after being unable to reach their loved ones, which was out of the ordinary. Jamison said the family normally spoke to relatives every two to three days.
Jamison said Milpitas police had no prior contact with the family.
Investigators are probing what led Nguyen to carry out the killings before taking his own life.
"Our detectives are going over all the digital evidence and all the evidence that they have to determine if there are any notes or any additional evidence that was left from the suspect," said Lt. Jamison. .
One neighbor who asked not to be identified said, "My condolences to the family to the people affected. I don't know what the reason is."