South Carolina Murder-Suicide: Woman Fatally Shoots 4-Year-Old Son Before Killing Self At Home

In a case of murder-suicide in North Charleston, South Carolina, a woman fatally shot her four-year-old son before turning the gun on herself.

According to local reports, deputies with the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office responded to 2664 Leeds Ave. Tuesday morning after receiving reports of an unresponsive woman and a child inside a locked home.

The responding officers forced their way into the residence and found the child and woman with gunshot wounds. Both of them were pronounced dead at the scene and the officers found a gun near the bodies. No one else was at the residence when the officers found the bodies. As part of the investigation, the officers spoke to the neighbors and interviewed close associates of the woman.

Though initially the officials said they didn’t know the relationship between the woman and the boy, the Charleston County Coroner’s Office on Wednesday confirmed that they were mother and son. They were identified as 40-year-old Gretchen Francey and four-year-old Liam Francey.

The officials also ruled the mother’s death as a suicide while the son’s death was confirmed as a homicide. Investigation also concluded that no third person was involved in the incident. Investigation was ongoing to find out the circumstances that led to the incident and the Sheriff’s Office has asked anyone with any information to contact 843-202-1700.

The incident comes less than a week after a man, who was out on bail for assaulting his wife, killed her, their five-year-old son and himself. Officers responded to a home and found three victims with gunshot wounds. While a child and a woman were pronounced dead at the scene, a man was taken to a local hospital where died. The victims were identified as Sharekia Johnson,42, and her five-year-old son Paul Johnson Jr. Sharekia’s husband, Paul Johnson Sr., died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

It was reported that Johnson Sr. was arrested and charged with domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature in December last year for choking his wife and was out on bond when the incident took place.