A Las Vegas man fatally shot his three children and his wife, who he chased from their apartment and through two parking lots, before turning the gun on himself on Wednesday night.
According to the Associated Press, who broke the story, Jason Hagan Dej-Oudom shot his children, all between the ages of nine and 15, in their home.
He also targeted his wife, Phoukeo Dej-Oudom, who managed to escape from the residence.
Despite her efforts—as well as those of a bystander who witnessed the incident and attempted to aid her—Oudom was shot outside of a local business close to the residence after her husband forced her into his car. It is unclear whether she managed to fully free herself before being fatally wounded.
As the AP reported:
The Clark County coroner’s office identified the couple’s children, including 15-year-old daughter, Dalavanh Ariel Dej-Oudom, and sons, Xonajuk J.J. Dej-Oudom, 14, and Anhurak Jason Dej-Oudom, 9. The youngest child died of a gunshot wound to the head. The coroner hasn’t released the cause of death for the 35-year-old woman or the other children.
A driver spotted Phoukeo Dej-Oudom waving her hands and screaming for help in the street near her home and picked her up Wednesday night. Jason Hagan Dej-Odoum chased them to a CVS drug store two blocks away, where he dragged his wife into his car at gunpoint.
As he drove off, his wife partially hung out the window and eventually escaped and started running. Witnesses saw Jason Hagan Dej-Odoum chasing her in his car while she fled toward a Walgreens about a half mile away.
As per recent court documents, Phoukeo Dej-Oudom had filed for divorce last month. The record also stated that she had asked the judge to take domestic violence into account during the custody proceedings.
As of now, it is not clear as to whether Oudom shot his children before or after he shot his wife.
“It’s really hard to understand how this could happen, how somebody could do that to children,” local police lieutenant Dan McGrath told the press.
Image via screenshot.
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