A tragic incident in a Montebello apartment complex early Thursday morning left two people dead, including a child, and two others critically injured. According to reports from NBC Los Angeles, the Montebello Police Department discovered the bodies behind the apartment complex after being called to the scene for unknown circumstances.
Found dead at the back of the building upon arrival, as details from a FOX LA report state, the suspect, believed to be the father, had also indiscriminately attacked his children and their mother. As police conducted a protective sweep, they found one girl and a woman, both suffering from severe head injuries inside a unit.
In an effort to understand this unexpected violence in the otherwise quiet neighborhood, neighbors and law enforcement are grappling with the aftermath of the attack. The hatchet found at the scene, "believed to be the weapon used in the attack," as seen in footage obtained by ABC7, remains a silent testament to the night's horror.
"That's shocking. This is usually a quiet family-oriented neighborhood. To hear of something so violent and unconventional is really surprising," Franklin Gonzales, a neighbor, told FOX LA. Encountering the siren's call in the midst of slumber, Susan, another local resident, expressed her shock to ABC7, saying, "I have no idea what happened down there. Our street is pretty quiet... it's kind of scary."
While the attack's motives remain a mystery that the Montebello and Monterey Park police departments continue to investigate, authorities have assured the community of no further threat. "There are no outstanding suspects and there is no danger to the community," stated Montebello police. The conditions of the mother and daughter, who were rushed to the hospital, are yet to be known, according to a brief by CBS Los Angeles.
