Three family members, including a 7-year-old girl, were found dead after a shooting in an at-home Hopkins daycare center that had six other children, around the age of 5 and under, present.
Police in Hopkins said a husband stabbed his wife and daughter before shooting himself on Wednesday, Aug. 12, at an at-home daycare center.
A parent who was dropping off their child at the home, notified police at about 9 a.m. Wednesday. The person apparently witnessed the incident that left the man, woman and child dead, Hopkins Police Chief Brent Johnson said during a briefing of journalists near the scene, which was broadcast on the LiveNow from Fox YouTube channel.
The man, 41, had lived at the home that housed the daycare center, with his wife, 41, and their daughter, 7, Johnson said in a second news conference on Wednesday afternoon. The man and woman were thought to be the owners of the center.
When officers reported to the scene, they found the man had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Johnson said. Investigators did not immediately know whether the man was currently living at the home.
"It is their daughter, and it is a husband and wife," he said. "I don't know what their current living situation is."
An additional six children, about the age of 5 or younger, were in the home at the time, Johnson said. None of the children were injured, and all have been reunited with their parents.
The Brown Bear Center, located in Hopkins, is about 12 miles southwest of Minneapolis and about an hour from St. Cloud.
Police have linked the murder-suicide with another stabbing death of another family member, a woman, aged 78, in Burnsville, about 18 miles south of Hopkins.
Burnsville police responded at about 12:23 p.m. Wednesday to a home where they found a woman, 78, who died from a stabbing, Police Chief Matt Smith said during an afternoon news conference.
"We believe the tragedies in our two cities to be linked," he said.
The woman found dead is believed to have been "a close family relative of the suspect in Hopkins," Smith said.
Police did not have a timeline of the incidents, Johnson said. The names of the deceased nor the weapons involved were released by police. Investigators have not found a note from the man nor have they identified a motive, Johnson said.
"This is a horrific, tragic situation for any community, especially here in Hopkins, where we don't see this type of crime," Johnson said. "The impact is felt not only here but elsewhere for every parent who has a child in a day care setting or anywhere else where they don't have immediate control of their child. So, yes, it's heartbreaking."
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty addressed the situation in a statement posted on X. "We're aware of this morning's tragic and devastating incident in Hopkins and are working with Hopkins Police as they investigate," she said. "Our office's victim services division is prepared to support the individuals impacted by this incident. We will provide further updates when available.
"There's no worse scenario than this, where you drop off your child somewhere you think is safe and you get that phone call," Johnson said.
The families who had children at the daycare center released a statement through the Hopkins Police Department.
"We are completely heartbroken and devastated over this tremendous loss and tragedy. Our families ask for time and privacy as we grieve. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the children and families of Brown Bear Daycare. The families of Brown Bear Daycare were and are so very loved and considered family."
A community-led vigil to honor the victims is scheduled from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 17, at Downtown Park in Hopkins, 40 Ninth Ave. S., according to the city of Hopkins.
National Domestic Violence Hotline, 1-800-799-SAFE or text START to 88788: Provides tools and support to help survivors of domestic violence
Minnesota Day One, 1-866-223-1111: provides help and resources for victims of general crime, domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking, or those concerned about their relationships anywhere in Minnesota
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 988: Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Crisis Text Line, text MN to 741741: Free, confidential, crisis intervention and prevention
Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & [email protected].
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Three dead, including a child, at a Hopkins home daycare