here is the reason why:
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — Police sources told KTVU that a San Francisco mass
murder, involving five victims, appears to have been a targeted attack over
a possible gambling debt and not a murder-suicide, as previously thought.
Investigators are still trying to determine what led to the multiple
homicides, which were reported at 7:47 a.m. Friday at 16 Howth St. in the
city's Ingleside neighborhood. Four of the five people found dead in a home
near were related, police officials said.
Police told KTVU the scene inside the Ingleside home was "very bloody" and
among the worst they've seen.
There was bleach and paint all over the home, as if someone was trying to
disturb the scene, police said.
A relative of the victims said the family who lived in the home were
immigrants from China: a couple in their 60s, the couple's 32-year-old son
and 37-year-old daughter, along with a woman in her 30s who was in a
relationship with the son.
A daughter in her 20s entered the two-story home Friday morning and found
three people dead, then called 911. Officers then arrived and found the
three victims, and also found two others elsewhere in the home, police Cmdr.
Lyn Tomioka said.
An investigator told KTVU no weapon was recovered from the home, and the
injuries suffered by the five victims appeared to indicate that it was not a
murder-suicide.
Miriam Mendoza-Moody, a neighbor, said she heard yelling from inside the
home.
"I did hear around midnight some very loud male-voice person arguing or
yelling," she said. "It was discomforting, and my dog became agitated."
Mo Iranmenesh rents the home next door to the victims' and said the family
owns the home he lives in. He said the 37-year-old daughter named Jess was
always helpful.
"She's friendly," he said. "Every time I need help, she's there. Every time
I lock myself out, she'd let me in."
Iranmenesh said he heard the daughter screaming Friday morning.
"It was a woman shouting, 'Can someone help me?'" said Iranmenesh.
Sources told KTVU there was no sign of forced entry, and investigators are
now looking at the possibility that the motive may have been a gambling debt
.
"We have some information we're following up," said San Francisco Police
Chief Greg Suhr. "But, I want to assure the public that we don't believe we
have anybody at large that are looking to do random acts."
According to officials, the family moved into the home less than a year ago,
and the father and son are in the construction business.
Officers will be at the house all night and into the morning.
A police spokeswoman told KTVU autopsies will be conducted this weekend to
find out the cause of the deaths.
.
Mayor Ed Lee released a statement about the deaths this afternoon, calling
them "a terrible tragedy."
"I extend, on behalf of the city, our support and sympathy to all family
members and friends of the victims involved in this crime," he said.
