Phoenix Family Shooting Leaves Five Dead, House Burning

UPDATE: Phoenix police have identified the victims publicly. Sergeant Trent Crump released the following statement just before 5 p.m.:

The victims were identified as;

Vic Buckner (50)
Kimberly Buckner (49)
Kaitlin Buckner (18)
Emma Buckner (6)

The suspect has been identified as Alex Arthur Buckner (26).

All reside at the Sunnyside address together.

No known previous mental health issues.

No known previous criminal history.

Original story follows:

Five people are dead following a horrific scene in Phoenix early this morning in which police drew gunfire as they tried to rescue people inside a burning home.

"You know, I heard things this morning and saw things as I'm down here that I haven't seen in 30 years. I've never seen an active shooter inside a home while the house is on fire, shooting at officers that are trying to help victims who are on the line with us," Phoenix Police Sergeant Trent Crump told news media at the scene.

The four dead adults include the shooter, who was the brother or son of the victims and who apparently committed suicide after the murders, police reported.

A girl between 8 and 12 was wounded and taken to a hospital in critical condition, where she later died.

The gunman apparently set fire to the home near 51st Avenue and Cactus Road sometime during the incident. As Crump related, police put on breathing masks and entered the home, only to be shot at by the attacker.

In a statement at 5:30 a.m., Crump reported that the scene "remains very active. There have been shots fired within the last few minutes and we have a working house fire." He warned TV news trucks not to park anywhere near the site.

Phoenix firefighters managed to put out a second fire that flared up at the home by 7:30 a.m.

Police received a 911 call from one of the family members, who reported that a relative was shooting at the people in the home. The fire broke out soon after.

Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton and Police Chief Joseph Yahner went out to the scene to give public comments.

Stanton called the scene an "unbelievable tragedy" and praised the first responders.

"You have police officers who went into an active fire to pull out people to try to save their lives,”  he said. "Their professionalism, their heroism under the worst possible conditions has blown me away today as mayor of this city."

It was the second high-profile murder-suicide in the Phoenix area in just over a week. On February 12, a 15-year-old girl brought a handgun to Glendale's Independence High School and killed herself and her 15-year-old friend.