Suicide cop kills four family members

A 34-year-old officer with a small Utah police department shot and killed his wife, mother-in-law, and two young children, before turning the gun on himself.

Spanish Fork police said the five were found dead at about 11pm on Thursday, when co-workers reported that Joshua Boren had not shown up for his night shift as a patrol officer at the Lindon police department.

Police who looked through the window saw blood on the carpet and shell casings in the front room of the two-storey home, police said. When they went inside, they found Boren’s 55-year-old mother-in-law Marie King dead in a bedroom, and Joshua Boren and his immediate family dead in the bedroom next door.

The other victims were identified as Kelly Boren, 32, Joshua “Jaden” Boren, 7, and Haley Boren, 5.

Spanish Fork Lieutenant Matthew Johnson said the couple had been experiencing marital problems in the past few months, but co-workers say Boren appeared upbeat and didn’t show signs of distress before the killings.

“There were no warning signs,” Johnson said, adding that police had never been called to the home. “This was a total shock to everyone.”

Officials said they didn’t find a suicide note.

Police didn’t immediately have information on events leading up to the shooting.