Four people were killed by a gunman on Friday in a rural Washington home, before he shot himself dead following an hours-long standoff with the police. The gunman had called the authorities to say he shot and killed his family near the town of Belfair, reported the Associated Press. A 12-year-old girl, believed to be the gunman's daughter, survived the carnage, authorities said. Chief Deputy Russell Osterhout told Reuters the girl either escaped or was released by the gunman.

Sheriff Casey Salisbury said authorities negotiated with the shooter for about three hours before a SWAT team stormed into the house and found the people dead. The gunman then shot himself in front of the authorities. According to the one of the family's neighbours, the couple who lived in the house were in their 40s and had been married for four or five years. The wife had two teenage sons who were adopted from Russia during a previous marriage. She also had a daughter who was adopted from China. The husband had a heating and air conditioning contractor business, and had recently been hospitalised.

The incident occurred a day after a man opened fire at three locations in Kansas, killing three people and injuring 14 others before he was gunned down by the police.