The 72-year-old grandfather killed his two grandchildren, aged 10 and 12, after barricading himself with them in a house in Huetor Tajar, in Granada, Spain. After the incident, the man committed suicide.
Sources close to the investigation say the crime stemmed from disagreements between the man and his son-in-law following an accident the septuagenarian was involved in on March 19, in which his wife and daughter, the mother of the minors, were killed.
Two children were also traveling with their family and ended up injured.
In accordance with El PaisAt around 9.40pm on Sunday evening, an alert was received that a man was barricaded in a house on Alfredo Nobel Street with a firearm and in a threatening manner towards two family members. Members of the Spanish Civil Guard and local police blocked the street.
Due to the man’s refusal to surrender and the danger to which minors were exposed, a group of the Civil Guard’s UEI (a special unit that responds to serious criminal acts) left Madrid. The man kept in touch with the team until 5 a.m., but eventually said he would stop talking because he would have to take his grandchildren to school around 8 a.m.
Upon arrival, agents observed that the juveniles did not leave the home and were not located for some time. The Civil Guard decided to break into the house, and at that moment the man grabbed a shotgun.
According to the mayor of the municipality, the man was seriously injured in the accident, which claimed the lives of his wife and daughter.
The investigation is being carried out by the Spanish Civil Guard.