A man has shot dead six people including his girlfriend at a family birthday party, sparing the sobbing children, before turning the gun on himself in Colorado.
The gunman walked into a birthday party shortly after midnight on Sunday and opened fire before taking his own life at the trailer park in Colorado Springs.
Police arrived to find six people dead plus a seventh who was seriously wounded and died after being taken to a hospital.
'The children at the trailer were uninjured by the suspect and are now with relatives,' the police said.
Joana Cruz, 53, and her two sons, Melvin Perez, 30, and Jose Guttierez, 21, were among the victims.
Perez's wife, Mayra, 32, was also killed along with her sister Sandra Ibarra and brother Jose Ibarra. Sandra Ibarra was said to be the suspect's girlfriend.
The Denver Post quoted neighbor Yenifer Reyes as saying she was awakened by the sound of gunfire and heard sirens before witnessing police take children out of the home and put them into a squad car.
'They were crying hysterically,' Reyes told the Post.
Family members identified the victims as Joana Cruz (left), who would have turned 54 this week and her son Melvin Perez (far right), who would have turned 31 this week. Also killed was Perez's wife, Mayra Perez (right)
Also killed in the shooting was 21-year-old Jose Guttierez (pictured with his wife, who was not killed)
Police disclosed few details about the victims other than that one was the girlfriend of the shooter and another was the person celebrating a birthday.
Freddie Marquez, 33, said his mother-in-law Joana Cruz, 53, was one of the victims and that he was at the party but left around 10.30pm on Saturday.
Some time after midnight, he received a call from the son of one of the women at the party, who was crying on the phone.
'Somebody came in and shot everybody,' Marquez said, relating what he had been told on the phone.
Nubia Marquez told the The Gazette that as well as her mother, her brothers Melvin Perez, who would have turned 31 this week, and 21-year-old Jose Guttierez, were killed.
The birthday party was held in celebration of Cruz and Perez.
Also killed in the shooting were Perez's wife, Mayra Perez, 32, and Mayra's sister Sandra Ibarra and brother Jose Ibarra.
Freddy and Nubia both described the shooter as Sandra Ibarra's boyfriend.
They told the Gazette that Sandra's boyfriend, only known to them as Junior, always carried a gun and was known to be 'quiet' and 'serious'.
When asked to describe the scene before they left the party, Nubia said 'everybody was calm'.
'My mom had always liked celebrating them together,' she told the newspaper. Freddy also said that 'everybody was good' when they left the party around 10pm.
Freddy and Nubia described Cruz as 'loving' and 'hard working', adding that she was 'always laughing'.
'They were all great people,' Freddy said, adding that Cruz's sons were very much like her.
A man fatally shot six other people including his girlfriend and then killed himself at a birthday party in Colorado Springs, Colorado, early on Sunday, sparing the children who were present. Family members mourn at the scene where their loved ones were killed
Mourners, who haven't been identified, hug at the scene of the shooting on Sunday
The birthday party was held in celebration of Cruz and Perez. Also killed in the shooting were Mayra's sister Sandra Ibarra and brother Jose Ibarra
Authorities investigate the scene of the shooting on Sunday
The shooting shocked the entire neighborhood early Sunday morning.
Officers arrived at a trailer park just after midnight to find six dead adults and a man with serious injuries who died later at a hospital.
'The suspect, a boyfriend of one of the female victims, drove to the residence, walked inside and began shooting people at the party before taking his own life,' said a statement released by the Colorado Springs Police Department.
A motive has yet to be determined for the massacre at a trailer park about 70 miles south of Denver.
Police on Sunday hadn't identified the shooter or victims, but they did say the children at the party have been placed with relatives.
'Words fall short to describe the tragedy that took place this morning,' said Colorado Springs Police Chief Vince Niski.
'This is something you hope never happens in your own community, in the place that you call home,' he said.
Officers arrived at a trailer to find six dead adults and a man with serious injuries who died later at a hospital
A motive has yet to be determined for the massacre at a trailer park about 70 miles south of Denver
'When these types of unspeakable acts happen, there is nothing that can be done to fully rebuild what was lost or replace those who are no longer with us.'
He vowed that the department would do everything it can to 'find you the answers you deserve and be here for you with unwavering support.'
Colorado Springs mayor John Suthers said: 'Today we find ourselves mourning the loss of lives and praying solemnly for those who were injured and those who lost family members in a senseless act of violence on Sunday morning.
'We think too of the emergency personnel who responded to a horrific scene and we keep them in our prayers today.
'We ask the public's patience with the investigation and we seek the sensitivity of our media partners as CSPD completes a thorough investigation to provide answers to the families and friends impacted by this tragedy.'
In a statement, Colorado Gov Jared Police shared: 'The tragic shooting in Colorado Springs is devastating, especially as many of us are spending the day celebrating the women in our lives who have made us the people we are today.
'Multiple lives were taken today by this terrible act of violence. Families torn apart, and at a birthday party no less. My deepest condolences and prayers are with the victims, their families, and everyone else impacted by this tragedy.'
The El Paso County Coroner's Office will release the identifications of the victims and their official causes of death.
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