A tragic incident unfolded in Duluth, Minnesota, where a man with a history of mental health struggles fatally shot his wife, ex-partner, two sons, and then himself, leaving the community in shock.
Duluth Police Chief Mike Ceynowa identified the shooter as 46-year-old Anthony Nephew.
Authorities discovered the bodies of five individuals on Thursday afternoon across two residences.
Nephew’s ex-partner, Erin Abramson, 47, and their 15-year-old son, Jacob, were found at one home, both victims of apparent gunshot wounds. Shortly after, police located Nephew’s current wife, Kathryn, 45, and their 7-year-old son, Oliver, in a nearby home, where they too had been fatally shot. Nephew was found dead at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Nephew’s social media activity prior to the incident raised concerns, as he posted politically charged statements and expressed fears about religious extremism and societal issues.
In one of his posts, he wrote about his struggles with mental health and the distress he felt living in a world that, he believed, could no longer coexist peacefully with his values.
While police have not yet confirmed a specific motive for the killings, they noted that Nephew had expressed political and personal grievances online, many of which were critical of former President Donald Trump and touched on broader concerns about political and religious extremism.
Nephew had also written about mental health issues in the past, contributing an op-ed in 2021 where he discussed the stigma and challenges of untreated mental illness in the U.S., linking it to tragedies such as suicide and homicide.
As the investigation continues, police have reassured the public that there is no ongoing threat to the city’s residents. Duluth, home to nearly 90,000 people, is located about 135 miles north of Minneapolis.