Man kills wife, teen girls before shooting himself in front of police, Alabama cops say
It wasn’t even 10 a.m. on Sunday, May 22, when officers in a small Alabama town got a call about a man threatening suicide.
Moments after officers arrived at the home in Riverside and found William Huntoon Vance holding a handgun, he fatally shot himself, according to a news release from the St. Clair Sheriff’s Office.
Vance’s body wasn’t the only one found at the scene. Inside the home, officers found 51-year-old Florence Diane Vance and two teenage girls, ages 13 and 16, dead from gunshot wounds, the release said.
“Vance, a 54 year old white male, shot and killed the three female victims before shooting himself,” the release said.
Authorities confirmed that the four people were a family, according to WIAT.
News spread quickly in Riverside, Mayor Rusty Jessup told WBRC. It was a small town where everyone knew each other — including the Vances, the outlet reported.
“They were always here for all the city functions. They’d bring their kids. They love this city, they love their neighbors,“Jessup told the outlet. “It’s got everybody in town just walking around with our chins on the ground going: How did this happen?”
The sheriff’s office hasn’t released a possible motive for the incident, which remains under investigation.
According to Jessup, William and Florence Vance were hearing impaired and communicated with sign language, WBRC reported. The couple would read lips to communicate, too, according to the outlet.
“This family is a part of our Deaf community. The man’s wife was my good friend,” one commenter wrote on Facebook. “I took care of her sweet cats and plants while they were out of town. ... Her daughters were brilliant, kind and sweet. ... I’m devastated and have no words to explain just how much my deaf community and I are hurting.”
The Pell City School System released a statement mourning the loss of the two girls on May 23, WBRC reported.
“The Pell City School System family is saddened by the tragic loss Sunday morning of two of our students,” the school said in the statement. “We have counselors on hand today to support out students and faculty members.”
Officers said they wouldn’t release the names of the teens until family was notified, according to the release.
“I wish he’d have called me,” Jessup said. “I wished you know, he would’ve reached out to somebody. I just hurt right now. I just hurt. Our whole city just hurts right now.”
Riverside is about 39 miles northeast of Birmingham.
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