‘Way too many guns around’: the common theme in US family killings

Investigators work at the scene in Billings, Montana, where a man killed eight of his relatives in August. Photograph: Matthew Brown/AP

The US is often known globally for its shocking levels of violence, but acts of “family annihilation” or “familicide” rank among the most disturbing of crimes.

They occur when an assailant kills four or more of their own family members and often see the killer also kill themselves. These types of crime have increased dramatically this year, according to data from Northeastern University.