State police: Gunman kills 5, then himself in rural Breathitt County in eastern Kentucky

State police: 6 dead in eastern Kentucky shooting

JACKSON, Ky. — A gunman in rural eastern Kentucky shot five people dead with a shotgun before killing himself Saturday, authorities said.

A relative of two of the victims says the shootings happened after an argument between the gunman and his wife over how she cooked his eggs.

Trooper Jody Sims said the bodies were found in three homes in the mobile home park where gunman Stanley Neace, 47, lived. The five victims were shot around 11:30 Saturday morning in the Mount Carmel community outside Jackson in Breathitt County.

Sims said that when state police arrived they heard a single gunshot and found Neace’s body on his porch.

Sherri Anne Robinson answered at a phone listing for Neace and says she is a relative of two of the victims. She says witnesses to the shootings told her that Neace became enraged when his wife did not cook his breakfast to his liking.

Robinson says that when his wife fled to a neighbor’s trailer, Neace followed and shot his wife, his stepdaughter and three witnesses. Robinson says he allowed a young girl to flee to a neighbor’s home.

Sheriff Ray Clemons said the shooting appeared to be a domestic situation but didn’t elaborate.

Authorities started receiving calls about multiple gunshots shortly after 11:30. Sims said troopers found five victims when they arrived about an hour later. Troopers say the victim appeared to turn the shotgun on himself after killing the other five.

Breathitt County is home to about 16,000 people in the rugged eastern part of the state, almost 90 miles southeast of Lexington.