5 dead after apparent murder-suicide at home in Vancouver, Washington, authorities say

Five people are dead after what authorities believe was a murder-suicide in a home in Washington state.

The Clark County Sheriff's Office responded to a call for a welfare check on Sunday at a home in Vancouver, Washington, a city along the southern border of the state and about nine miles north of Portland, Oregon.

According to a press release from the sheriff's office, the welfare check was requested after a person received a text from a family member saying they had harmed others at the house. Authorities on the scene were not able to contact anyone in the house, and requested assistance from the Southwest Washington Regional SWAT team due to the possible harm to others and involvement of a firearm.

An Unmanned Aircraft System was put inside the home, and authorities said it found several people to appeared to be deceased. SWAT operators and medics then entered the home, and confirmed five people inside had died.

From the early investigation, the major crimes unit from the sheriff's office believes it was a murder-suicide involving the firearm. Five family members appeared to have been shot, including the suspect.

None of the names or ages of the family members have been publicly identified.

The investigation is active and ongoing, and the sheriff's office says there is not believed to be any threat to the public.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 5 people dead after apparent murder-suicide in Vancouver: Authorities