Man Kills 5, Including A Pregnant Woman, In Alabama

Five people were found dead in Alabama on Saturday, including a pregnant woman, in connection to a domestic dispute. The Mobile Sheriff released a report on the murders, committed by 27-year-old Derrick Dearman, on Twitter. According to a statement, Laneta Lester was staying at the Citronelle, AL, home where the bodies were found to get away from Dearman, who she says was abusive. Dearman reportedly showed up to the house looking for Lester early Saturday morning. The police were called to the location, but Dearman left only to return hours later, breaking into the house and attacking the five victims — three male and two female, between the ages of 22 and 35 — while they were sleeping. The victims have been identified as Robert Lee Brown, Justin Kaleb Reed, Joseph Adam Turner, Shannon Melissa Randall, and Chelsea Marie Reed, who was five months pregnant. Lester told police that Dearman forced her and the 3-month-old child of one of the victims into a car with him. He allegedly drove to his father's house in Mississippi, only to let them go and report himself to the police.

Several weapons were found at the scene. This incident is among the deadliest mass shootings in the state's history and comes only seven years after the deadliest, which left 10 dead. The Daily Beast reports that domestic violence is a “serious problem” in Mobile County. In a 2014 report, it was found that "three homicides in the county in two separate incidents" involved cases of domestic abuse. According to the sheriff’s office press release, Dearman will reportedly be charged with six counts of murder, including the termination of Reed’s five-month pregnancy. He’s also been charged with kidnapping.