Iowa gunman killed six relatives then himself after 'domestic dispute', police say
The gun rampage occurred across two residences and a business
A gunman in the US state of Iowa killed six relatives, including two children, before taking his own life, police said.
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The shooting spree, which appeared to stem from a "domestic-related dispute", unfolded shortly after noon on Monday in the eastern Iowa city of Muscatine.
Four of the victims were found shot to death inside a residence.
Police later found the bodies of two other men, who the gunman was believed to have shot - one in a nearby home and another at a business.
The killer - later identified as 52-year-old Ryan Willis McFarland - had fled the scene before officers arrived and was discovered on the city's riverfront trail near a pedestrian bridge.
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All the victims were believed to be family members of the gunman, Police Chief Anthony Kies said during a news briefing.
US broadcaster ABC reported that at least two of the victims were children.
The police chief told reporters that McFarland had a previous criminal record but he declined to elaborate.
A preliminary investigation into the gun violence indicated the shootings "stemmed from a domestic-related dispute," the Muscatine Police Department said in a statement, although no mention was made of precisely what may have precipitated the bloodshed.