A 34-year-old man broke into his neighbor’s apartment and Darden Clarkeshot a woman, a dog and two of the woman’s grandchildren before fatally shooting himself, Massachusetts authorities said.

Around 2:40 p.m. Monday, the Springfield Police Department responded to a report of gunshots heard at an apartment in Springfield, Massachusetts. When officers arrived, they found the shooter, Victor Nieves, 34, the woman, Kim Fairbanks, 52, and a dog dead at the scene, the Hampden District Attorney’s Office said in a news release. 

Police also found three children inside a bedroom who they rushed to area hospitals, according to the release. The children, aged 12, 10 and five, are siblings. 

The 10-year-old girl was air-lifted to a hospital in Boston and is in critical condition. The 12-year-old girl was taken to a hospital in Springfield and is in stable condition. The five-year-old-boy was not shot, the release said. 

“This is unequivocally one [of] the most heinous and cowardly acts to which I’ve had to bear witness as district attorney,” Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said. “My heart goes out to the parents of these children and the family and loved ones of Ms. Fairbanks.”

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Man ‘forcibly entered’ apartment, police say

Nieves, who lived in an apartment upstairs, “forcibly entered” through the front door and began shooting, according to the release.

“In my forty plus years at the Springfield Police Department this is one of the most heart-wrenching incidents I can remember,” Springfield Police Superintendent Cheryl Clapprood said. 

Clapprood added that they are providing support for officers involved because “most officers won’t have to encounter a scene like that in their entire career,” he said.

Police and the Hampden District Attorney’s Murder Unit are investigating.

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