A MAN and his two sons have been found dead in a suspected murder-suicide in County Cork.
Gardaí discovered the bodies of the man (60s) and two sons (both aged in their 20s) this afternoon.
The incident took place at a farm in Kanturk, north County Cork, and may have stemmed from a disagreement regarding a will and the future inheritance of the farm, The Irish Times reports.
It is understood that one of the sons arrived to the house late last night, accompanied by his mother, and was shot at around 7am this morning while he was in bed.
A woman who was present in the house managed to escape and raise the alarm, and Gardaí and other emergency services arrived at the property shortly thereafter, with Gardaí aware that one man may have suffered gunshot wounds and two other men were in the house.
Gardaí were also aware that there were three licensed firearms in the house, and when more shots were heard from inside the property they cordoned off the area and requested backup, including a Garda negotiator.
The negotiator was unable to contact anyone inside the house, and at around 12.30pm this afternoon, Armed Support Unit members entered the property and found one of the sons dead, after apparently sustaining a gunshot wound.
After a search of the property and the fields surrounding the farm, the bodies of the father and other son were discovered at around 1.45pm; both appeared to have suffered gunshot wounds, and two firearms were found nearby.
A Garda source told The Irish Times the deaths of the three men was "a terrible tragedy" and police were not searching for anyone else in relation to the incident.
A Family Liaison Officer has been appointed to the surviving woman, and forensic investigators, the State Pathologist as well as technical and ballistics experts have been dispatched to examine the scenes of the murders.
Anyone with any information which could assist the investigation is asked to contact Gardaí at Mallow Garda Station on 022 31450, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station.
