The Pittsburgh teen who shot his family and then turned the gun on himself was an avid hunter who had access to many firearms, according to local police.
"The family, all of them, were avid hunter and in my conversations with them, hunting always comes up. I knew they had a lot of firearms in the house," North Sewickley Township Police Chief Jeff Becze told WPXI-11.
The family's oldest son, 19-year-old Clifford Hunt Jr. shot his parents, Clifford Sr., 51, and Michelle, 48, in the head, killing them both. He also shot and killed his 16-year-old brother Cody. Cody was still alive when officers arrived on the scene, and police believe it was Cody who made the 911 call, WPXI-11 reported.
Police are still piecing together how the tragedy unfolded inside the home on Sunday, Jan. 12. Police received a 911 call from inside the home that was abandoned. When officers arrived at the home, they found the horrific scene inside.
"Pure shock, it kind of seems unbelievable that something like this could even happen in an area like ours, it's so quiet it's so relaxed and to hear of any loss in the community is horrible," family friend Autumn Ashurst told WPXI-11.
Jennifer Lanham, who works near the home where the shooting took place, told WTAE-4 that the shooting has reverberated throughout the community.
"Everybody here knows everybody. You know, we're a very tight-knit community. Everybody looks out for everybody. So something like this is a tragedy beyond compare here," Lanham told WTAE-4.
Cody Hunt and his mother were both members of the Air Heritage Aviation Museum.
"Cody recently obtained his pilot's license and he and his mother were very proud of his achievement. Cody's dream was to someday fly for the United States Air Force. Michelle was one of our most active volunteers and always showed up with a smile on her face," the museum stated in a post on Facebook. "She and Cody will be greatly missed by everyone at the museum and by all of the visitors that she joyfully greeted at the museum."
