INDEPENDENCE, Ky. (AP) — A police chief says a northern Kentucky man may have used his 2-year-old granddaughter as bait to lure officials into an ambush before shooting his wife and daughter and setting their house on fire.
“Why would he put that child outside?” Independence Police Chief Shawn Butler told The Kentucky Enquirer newspaper Friday. “I think one could easily come to the conclusion he was trying to draw us in on some confrontation.”
The child, Jaycee Padilla, was rescued unharmed from the front yard of the burning home as shots were fired from the house at the responders.
Seaward Padilla, 43, shot himself to death Tuesday night after shooting and killing his wife, Lori Padilla, 45, and his daughter, Jessica Padilla, 22, who was the mother of Jaycee, police said.
An autopsy Thursday showed that Jessica was five months pregnant, Butler said.
Independence Police Lt. Col. David Nichols said it was not known if the shootings were connected to Jessica Padilla’s pregnancy. He said police have not been able to establish why the shootings occurred.
Butler said investigators may never know what triggered the double-murder-suicide, or why first responders were targeted.
“What set this rage off? What were his thoughts? Those are questions I don’t think any of us are going to be able to answer,” Butler said.
Funeral services for Lori and Jessica Padilla will be Monday at Chambers & Grubbs Funeral Home in Independence. The funeral home had no arrangements for Seaward Padilla.
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Information from: The Kentucky Enquirer, http://www.enquirer.com
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