by Adeniyi Abdul

What could drive a man to shoot his 7-year-old child? We might never know, but sadly occurrences like this one keep making us wonder.

A 41-year-old man from Massachusetts  in the USA has shot his two children, killing the 7-year-old girl before committing suicide. His 9-year-old son is said to be in critical condition in the hospital after taking a bullet to the head. The man, Daryl Benway had recently separated from his wife though they were not divorced.

A family member had called the police, Saturday night, after finding the bodies in a bedroom in their house in Worcester County District. According to Joseph Early Jr., an attorney, Benway’s wife, Kelleen, had returned home after the shootings, unaware of what had happened, when she discovered a group of police officers and news reporters. She was then taken to the children’s hospital, where she was informed of what had happened.

“It doesn’t get much worse than this,” Early said. “It’s a horrible scene, a horrible situation” A neighbour of the family described Benway as “the most happy-go-lucky guy.” “I just don’t see him doing that,” she said.

A childhood friend, Michael Courtemanche said, “They were excellent, a good family. Just like any other family, they had problems. But Daryl was always friendly, always in a good mood.”