Sault Ste. Marie shooter previously involved in intimate partner violence, police say

WARNING: This article contains details about fatal domestic violence and may be upsetting to some readers.

The shooter in Monday night's violent attack in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., had been involved in several prior intimate partner violence investigations, police say.

The 44-year-old male gunman shot and killed four people, including three children, in a murder-suicide at two different homes in the northern Ontario community, Sault Ste. Marie Police Service said Tuesday.

A 41-year-old was found deceased at a home on Tancred Street first after a 911 call about someone breaking into the home.

Minutes later officers found a 45-year-old with gunshot wounds at a home on Second Line East and sent them to hospital.

Inside the second home was where the bodies of the children – ages 6, 7 and 12 – were found along with the gunman, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Detectives continue to investigate both scenes.

• 'It's grim:' Community devastated by shooting deaths in Sault Ste. Marie

"After obtaining a search warrant for the residences, officers located and seized two firearms inside the home on Second Line East: one long gun and one handgun," Sault police said in a news release Wednesday.

"Forensic analysis, ballistics analysis and the post-mortem report will be required to determine how the firearms were used."

A police forensic unit attends a crime scene on Second Line, in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023. Five people – including three children and a shooter – were found dead after an attack in the northern Ontario city Monday evening. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Bob Davies)

The Ontario coroner's office is assisting with the investigation, providing forensic analysis.

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SUPPORT AVAILABLE

Support is available for people experiencing violence. In an emergency, call 911.

• Assaulted Women's Helpline 1-866-863-0511
• Fem'aide Helpline 1-877-336-2433
• Talk4Healing for Indigenous women 1-855-554-4325

The Canadian Women's Foundation has created a way for people experiencing gender-based violence to signal for help without leaving a digital trace. 

If you see the signal for help:

1. Reach out to the person safely.
2. Be supportive: acknowledge their experience, listen, and let them tell you what they need.
3. Refer them to services or offer resources, as needed.

Learn more here about the signal and how to respond safely here.