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3 Found Dead In Apparent Double Murder-Suicide

HAGERSTOWN, Md. (WJZ) -- A family of three is found dead in their Washington County home. Deputies believe it may be a case of murder-suicide.

Christie Ileto has the latest.

It's unclear what caused the shooting, but deputies believe 54-year-old William Smith shot both his wife and his stepson before turning the gun on himself.

With cop cars and yellow tape Thursday night, the 17500-block of Dawn Drive in Hagerstown is now a crime scene.

"When deputies arrived, there were three individuals deceased inside the residence--two adult males, one adult female. The individuals had suffered gunshot wounds," said Carly Hose, Washington County Sheriff's Department.

Sheriff's deputies believe William Smith killed both his wife, 47-year-old Kimberly Smith, and his stepson, 23-year-old Christopher Wachter, before taking his own life.

"I can tell you that we are not seeking suspects," said Hose.

"The kids were actually drawing with chalk," said Patti Rabette, resident.

Rabette's daughter was babysitting two small children when gunfire rang out across the street.

"The number one thing for Caitlin was to get the kids in the house and make sure that she was safe," she said.

Both police and residents say it's a family-friendly neighborhood.

"I've lived here since '77, and I don't know of anything that's happened like this around the neighborhood," said one resident.

"You never expect it. But there was something strange about him," said Ron DeVore.

Residents watched in horror as investigators searched the home, trying to uncover how this violence happened in such a quiet neighborhood.

Police were able to recover a shotgun. It's still unclear what prompted Smith to pull the trigger.

All three victims are being taken to the Medical Examiner's Office in Baltimore for an autopsy.

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