BRUTAL

Grandfather Kills Himself, Son, and Grandkids in ‘Horrific’ Murder-Suicide Fire: Coroner

Authorities believe he used accelerant to start the blaze that killed his 5-year-old granddaughter and 8-year-old grandson, as well as his son.

A Steelton, Pennsylvania, grandfather killed himself, his son, and his two grandchildren in an apartment fire that police are calling a “horrific” murder-suicide. In a press conference Tuesday, Dauphin County Coroner Graham Hetrick said Jafar Afshar had been exhibiting “abnormal behavior” in the run-up to the Friday blaze, but authorities could not determine a motive. “What was in his mind when he decided to eliminate his family, I don’t know,” he said, according to PennLive. Officials believe Afshar used an accelerant to start the blaze that killed his son Saeed, 36, his grandson, 8, and his granddaughter, 5, all of whom were likely sleeping. Hetrick said all the windows were closed and there were no signs of a struggle or any other trauma, signaling a quick death. All in all, he said, the incident was a tragedy. “It’s horrible,” Hetrick said. “I helped carry out one of the dead children.”