A pair of Florida siblings found their mother and her boyfriend shot dead after they returned home from school, according to police.
Miami Gardens police were alerted to the discovery at the home in the 4500 block of Northwest 185th Street at about 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 12.
Investigators learned two child siblings came home from school and found their mother and her boyfriend having suffered fatal gunshot wounds, according to NBC affiliate WPLG.
Police said they recovered a gun close to the boyfriend's body and believe it could possibly be a murder-suicide case, NBC6 reported.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, a database that collects information about shootings from across the country, 33 victims and suspects have been shot dead in Florida since September 1 this year.
The same database found that nine victims who were fatally shot over the same period were women.
Miami Gardens officers confirmed neither of the siblings were involved or injured as a result of the shooting.
The identities of the woman and her boyfriend have not been made public by police and an investigation into the shooting is underway.
Police have not revealed whether the children have been put in care or whether they are in the care of family members, according to WPLG.
Neighbor Judy Varela described the shooting as "horrible" and was sympathetic to the children.
She told WPLG: "It's a tragedy and it's just going to be trauma for them for the rest of their lives, coming home to see their parents die is the worst thing that could happen to any child."
Newsweek has contacted the Miami Gardens Police Department for comment via email.
According to a joint 2023 University of Louisville and University of Tennessee study, family and domestic violence affects an estimated 10 million people every year.
It said: "Domestic violence is a serious and challenging public health problem. Approximately one in three and one in 10 men 18 years of age or older experience domestic violence. Annually, domestic violence is responsible for over 1,500 deaths in the U.S.
"The national annual cost of medical and mental health care services related to acute domestic violence is estimated at over $8 billion. If the injury results in a long-term or chronic condition, the cost is considerably higher."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that one in four women and one in seven men will experience physical violence by their intimate partner at some point in their life.
The Tennessee and Louisville study also stated that at least 5 million acts of domestic violence occur annually to women aged 18 years and older, with more than 3 million involving men.
