WINFIELD, KS — A father of four called 911 Tuesday morning and told dispatchers he had killed his family and was preparing to kill himself, according to Winfield police. When officers later entered the home, they found six people dead: a mother, four children and the suspected gunman.
Police say the call came in around 8:50 a.m. CT, prompting officers to treat the scene as a barricade situation while they established a perimeter. Officers forced their way into the home shortly before 11 a.m., after which they discovered the deaths inside.
Police say the call led officers to a barricaded home
Winfield Police Chief Robbie DeLong said the first information officers had was the 911 call itself, in which the man said he had killed his entire family and was about to take his own life. Because there was no immediate indication of anyone else being in danger, police followed standard procedures for a possible barricaded subject.
That response kept officers outside the residence while they worked to determine what had happened inside. DeLong said the front door was breached shortly before 11 a.m., revealing the dead family members. Authorities have said only the six people lived in the home and that there is no ongoing threat to the public.
Victims identified as Kelly George and her four children
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation identified the victims as Kelly George, 44, and her children Carol Williams, 9; Ronald Williams Jr., 7; Sarah Williams, 5; and Kelly Magee-Williams, 3. The suspected gunman was identified as 53-year-old Ronald Williams Sr., the children’s father.
Jason Diaz, a special agent in charge with the KBI, said the agency believes the self-inflicted gunshot was the final wound after the 911 call. Police have not identified any additional victims, and they say the tragedy was confined to the family living in the house.
Investigators are still working to determine a motive
Authorities say the reason for the killings remains under investigation. Diaz said investigators have been speaking with neighbors as they try to piece together the events that led up to the deaths.
Police also said they had received a few recent calls involving Williams and described them as complaints about erratic behavior, including confronting and yelling at people. DeLong said those calls did not clearly point to what would happen Tuesday, and he noted he had never seen a case like it in more than 20 years on the job.
Neighbors and recent complaints are part of the inquiry
Officials have not said whether those earlier complaints were connected to the killings. For now, investigators are treating them as one part of a broader review of the family’s recent interactions with others in the community.
That work includes confirming timelines, interviewing people who knew the family and examining what officers found once they entered the house. The KBI and Winfield police have not announced any charges, as the suspected gunman is also dead.
Officials stress there is no wider threat to the public
Authorities have emphasized that the violence appears to have been limited to one household. With all six people inside the home dead, police say there is no ongoing danger to residents in Winfield.
The case has also renewed attention to suicide prevention resources. Anyone struggling with thoughts of suicide, or worried about someone else, can call or text 988 for free, confidential support any time of day.
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