A suspected murder-suicide has left three people dead at a home in the Bay Area, including a retired San Francisco police sergeant, his estranged wife and their 24-year-old daughter.
Kevin Mannix, 68, was found dead at the family’s home in the Strawberry neighbourhood of Mill Valley, California, on Sunday evening. Investigators believe he shot former San Francisco Police Department deputy chief Ann Mannix, 65, and their youngest daughter, Katie, before killing himself.
Police were called shortly after 5pm following reports of gunfire from inside the property, which is valued at $2 million.
Miguel Almaguer, of the Marin County Sheriff’s Office, said officers found three bodies inside the house. “The nature of those victims and their connection to one another are all part of our active investigations,” he said.
Investigators have not disclosed what led up to the shooting. They were waiting to obtain a search warrant before entering the house, according to the information released.
San Francisco Police Chief Derrick Lew informed the department of the deaths in a message on Sunday.
“It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of the passing of Ann and Kevin Mannix,” he wrote. “Please keep their family in your prayers. BSU is available to all members who may need it during this difficult time.”
The San Francisco Police Officers Association said the suspected murder-suicide had left the department “reeling”.
It described Ann Mannix as a trailblazer who became the first woman to join and lead the department’s SWAT team before going on to head both its Field Operations and Special Operations Bureaus.
The association said many officers had worked alongside Kevin Mannix during his 27 years of service, including at Taraval Station. “To see their lives, and the life of their 24-year-old daughter Katie, end in such a horrific and senseless manner is a burden that weighs heavily on every officer, active and retired,” it said.
Kevin Mannix retired from the San Francisco Police Department in June 2018. In a letter to Taraval Police Station at the time, he wrote that he was looking forward to “a new life of leisure with family and friends”, but would miss seeing colleagues every day and at community events.
“I leave the SFPD, but I am taking your friendships with me forever,” he wrote.
