3 Dead, Including Child, at Minneapolis-Area Daycare; Suspect Killed Self

A Minnesota man fatally stabbed his wife and their 7-year-old daughter Wednesday at a Minneapolis-area home daycare where other children were present, then shot himself, police said. Hours earlier, authorities believe, he had fatally stabbed a 78-year-old relative in a nearby town.

The stabbings at the home daycare in Hopkins, Minnesota, occurred around 9 a.m., Hopkins Police Chief Brent Johnston said. The mother and daughter were found dead in the basement, where the daycare's entrance is located, while the suspect was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on an upper floor of the residence.

"Our entire community is grieving the loss, unnecessarily, due to domestic violence," Johnston said.

Six other children were present at the daycare but were not injured and were safely evacuated. Johnston said it was unclear whether they witnessed the violence. "This is a tragic day and a horrific scene for little children to witness — if they did witness this," he said.

A father dropping off his child at the daycare saw an altercation and called police, according to Johnston.

In Burnsville, about 12 miles southeast of Hopkins, police responding to a stabbing report around 12:25 p.m. found a 78-year-old woman dead. Burnsville Police Chief Matt Smith said investigators believe the suspect had recently lived at that address, and that the killing was connected to the deaths in Hopkins.

Both the suspect, 41, and the woman killed at the daycare, also 41, have not been publicly identified. Police said family notifications were pending.

Police in both cities said they were unaware of any prior calls to either home or to the daycare.

Hopkins Mayor Patrick Hanlon described his city as a close-knit community. "This city has shed a lot of tears today over this incident, over this immense loss," he said.