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Ohio Mass Shooting Update: 8 Relatives Dead In Piketon, Killer Still On The Loose

By Tara Dodrill
Published on: 04:06 PST, Apr 22, 2016

https://phoenix.playwire.com/en/publishers/1013074/videos/4823723

Ohio Mass Shooting Update: Eight members of the Rhoden family were killed in the Piketon and Peebles area of Pike County on Friday. All of the relatives were shot execution style, NBC News reports. Among the dead were a mother, who was sleeping in her bed with a newborn next to her. Pike County law enforcement officials believe all if not most of the victims were shot in their sleep.

Three children which were inside the home, including the newborn who was sleeping next to the mother, were not killed in the Piketon mass shooting. Some breaking news reports indicated multiple children had been killed in the early hours after the shooting which rocked this small rural town where little crime typically occurs.

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine told reporters there is no indication any of the deceased victims killed themselves or were otherwise party to the murders. One teenager was killed during the Ohio mass shooting in Piketon.

“There may be more than one, there may be three. We just don’t know at this point,” DeWine said when asked about the number of possible shooters. “It’s heartbreaking.”

Attorney General DeWine also stated remaining members of the Rhoden family have been urged to take safety precautions after noting any potential at-large suspects should be considered armed and dangerous.

The first three of the Rhoden homes where bodies were located were situated within just a few miles of one another along a rural road. The eighth victim, a man, was found inside a home further away from the initial Piketon shooting scene. Three children were found inside the home, the 4-day-old infant, a 6-month-old baby, and a 3-year-old toddler.

A massive manhunt is still underway, with police officers and deputies in Ross, Jackson, Vinton, and Athens Counties either directly aiding in the search or keeping a watchful eye on possible sightings of the shooter or shooters.

Pike County Shooting Update: Union Hill Church Pastor Phil Fulton told WLWT News that two adults and five children were killed in the early morning shooting near Peebles, Ohio. According to Reverend Fulton, the seven murders occurred at three different crime scenes on two different properties.

The Union Hill Church pastor also told local reporters that the family, which he did not identify by name, had attended his church. Reverend Fulton said the couple was “very friendly, outgoing” and noted that the children were “just good kids.”

The Peebles shooting victims included a six-month-baby and a five-day-old infant, USA Today reports. Ross County Sheriff’s Department, on of the agencies assisting with the mass shooting investigation, said multiple warrants are currently being served at the crime scenes. Some media reports have indicted that the couple and their children were shot “execution style” but no specific details have either been released or confirmed by Pike County law enforcement officials.

Seven people were shot and killed near Peebles, Ohio, inside a Pike County home. The killer remains at large, and a manhunt has been launched for the as-of-yet unidentified individual.

The Pike County shooting occurred Friday morning in a rural area on Union Hill Road just east of Peebles, close to Ohio State Route 32, according to WHIO News. The small town is located about 40 minutes from Dayton and is between Cincinnati and Waverly.

Few details are yet known about the Pike County shooting near Peebles. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is investigating seven homicides at this time. Law enforcement officials investigating the southern Ohio mass shooting believe the murders were not random, Fox News reports.

WLWT News has reported that five adults and two children were killed in Pike County, but those details remain unconfirmed at this time.

All seven of the Peebles shooting victims were reportedly related. No motive for the killing or the method of the homicides has been revealed to the public.

More than two dozen law enforcement officers were dispatched to the scene, with additional agents now likely included in the Pike County manhunt.

Pike County Commissioner Harry Rider said a multitude of worried residents have contacted his office this morning. Rider also said representatives from the governor’s office have made contact with county officials in reference to the evolving manhunt for the Peebles shooter.

“It’s really tore our community up, and some of those were children,” Commissioner Rider said during an interview with the Chillicothe Gazette. “The governor’s office called and they had heard there was seven and so we verified the story, but that’s all we could verify because we had no public official telling us that.”

“Reports we are receiving from Peebles are tragic beyond comprehension,” Ohio Governor John Kasich tweeted from the campaign trail, CBC News reports.

Roads near where the Peebles shooting occurred on Union Hill Road have been closed. Schools in both Pike County and adjacent Adams, Jackson, Ross, and Highland counties are either on some type of lockdown or high alert while keeping students inside their buildings.

Check back with the Inquisitr for more details about the Pike County shooting as additional details on the Peebles, Ohio, manhunt become available.

[The writer is from this region and also used press released from DeWine’s office and local news alerts to contribute to this article.]

[Image by Shutterstock.com]

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