A DeSoto Parish Community in Shock over Double-Murder Suicide

Prayers were being offered today in a DeSoto Parish community, where a father killed his two young boys and then himself. The double murder-suicide happened early Friday morning at a residence on Roach Road. DeSoto Parish Sheriff's Lt. Tony Morris told KEEL News the identities of the victims and how the horrific crime occurred.

39-year-old Scott Swanson shot his two sons, 7-year-old Alton and 4-year-old Jacob in the head with a handgun he owned, then turned the gun on himself. Lt. Morris says the bodies were found in the children's bedroom. He says the house belonged to the grandmother, whose daughter, the grandchildren and children's father all lived with her.

He says the mother told him the couple had a disagreement Thursday night, but when she went to bed she had no prior warning that such a heart-breaking tragedy would happen. She awoke to the sound of gun shots in the wee hours of the morning.

Friday, crisis counselors were on hand at North DeSoto Elementary School, where Alton was a student. They were offering help to students struggling to handle the shock and grief over this terrible crime.

As the community is mourning, people are praying for help in handling this sad situation.

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