Four dead in apparent Connecticut murder-suicide

[December 09, 2013]  (Reuters) — A man suspected of shooting three women to death inside a Connecticut apartment committed suicide in front of police just moments after putting down a 13-month-old child that had been in his arms, police said on Sunday.

Officers from the Manchester Police Department responded late Saturday to reports of multiple shots fired at an apartment complex and confronted the suspect outside in the parking lot.

"He was armed with a handgun and carrying a 13-month-old child," according to a statement from Captain Christopher Davis.

After a short confrontation with police, the man set the child on the ground and shot himself.

One officer also fired, but the bullet did not appear to have hit the suspect, police said. The toddler was unharmed.

Police found three adult women shot to death inside an apartment. Their identities had not been determined, the statement said.

The suspect's identity was withheld and it was unclear whether he was related to the child, police said.

(Reporting by Victoria Cavaliere; editing by Daniel Trotta and Maureen Bavdek)

[© 2013 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2013 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.