3 killed and 1 seriously wounded in Northern Ireland shooting

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LONDON (AP) — A shooting in a rural area of Northern Ireland on Wednesday left a woman and two children dead and a man seriously wounded, police and the ambulance service said. All four were from the same household.

Police did not indicate a possible motive, but Jemma Dolan, a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly from the area, called it “a domestic incident” in a post on social media.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland said that there was no ongoing risk to the public from the shooting outside the village of Maguiresbridge, about 75 miles (120 kilometers) southwest of Belfast.

Police and paramedics were called to a house just after 8 a.m. Wednesday, where two people were pronounced dead. Two others were taken to hospitals, where one later died. The fourth was in serious condition, police said.

“All four had sustained gunshot wounds, and I can confirm that all four individuals are from the same household,” police Superintendent Robert McGowan said.

Police later said the three people killed were a woman in her 40s and two children, a boy and a girl.

McGowan said officers were summoned by a phone call from inside the house and arived to find “a very harrowing scene.”

“This is a quiet rural location and I’m aware that this tragic event will have sent shockwaves of sadness throughout the community,” he said.

Hilary Benn, the government’s secretary of state for Northern Ireland, said “the news from Maguiresbridge is tragic and deeply distressing. My thoughts are with the victims, their relatives and the local community in Fermanagh.”

Deborah Erskine, another local lawmaker, said that the community was “stunned” by the shooting in “a rural, quiet area.”

“Everyone is deeply affected by what has happened this morning,” she said. “My deepest condolences are with the families of those who have been killed as a result of this incident. Their lives have been turned upside down this morning.”