The violence was ‘unspeakable’: 5 dead in Phoenix shooting and fire

Phoenix police and firefighters evaded bullets and flames as they responded to a shooting and house fire that left five family members dead Tuesday, including the gunman, authorities said.

Officers dodged bullets fired by the shooter and donned breathing gear to enter the burning home to help the victims. Some firefighters battling the blaze stood on the roof to extinguish the flames gushing from the home.

One officer was being treated for smoke inhalation, but no other injuries were reported to first responders.

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Four people killed in the morning violence were adults, and a girl, whose age was not known, later died at a hospital, police Sgt. Trent Crump said. He said police shot the gunman.

He declined to release names or specify the relationships of the people involved, but he said that they were a family of five and that the shooter was the brother or son of the victims.

A 911 caller from the home described the shooting as a domestic situation, Crump said.

A fire department spokeswoman says the shooter set the house on fire, which crews extinguished after it flared up for a second time.

Mayor Greg Stanton called it “unspeakable violence” but said the first responders’ heroism gave residents reasons to take heart.

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