Parents, two sons dead following apparent triple murder-suicide in Beaver County

A mother and a father, along with two sons are dead following an apparent triple murder-suicide in North Sewickley Township, Beaver County.

First responders were called to a home on Shaffer Street Sunday night following reports of shots being fired. It was later determined that the 9-1-1 call came from inside the home.

When officials arrived on scene, they found two people, later identified by the Beaver County DA as Clifford Hunt, 51, and Michelle Hunt, 48, dead on the scene.

19 year-old Clifford Hunt Junior, and his 16 year-old brother, Cody Hunt were also shot and airlifted to a nearby hospital and later died.

The DA said preliminary investigation shows Clifford Hunt Junior, shot and killed his parents and brother, before turning the gun on himself.

The Riverside School District released the following statement about Cody Hunt:

“Dear Riverside Families and Students,

It is with great sadness that we inform you that RHS student Cody Hunt passed away in an incident that occurred Sunday night. Cody, a dedicated Junior at Riverside High School, was a member of the National Honor Society. He played the saxophone in the school’s Marching Band and was passionate about aviation and history. Eager to serve his country, Cody planned to apply to the United States Air Force Academy. He also volunteered at the Air Heritage Museum in Chippewa, where he shared his love for aviation with visitors. Cody’s classroom teachers and friends would say he was kind-hearted and always helped others. Everyone at Riverside will miss him dearly.

Throughout the week, the District has made all Riverside counselors available for student and staff needs, and the Beaver County Prevention Network and Hope Therapy dogs will be available in the High School.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Cody’s family, friends, and educators. On behalf of Riverside Beaver County School District, we express our deepest condolences and offer unwavering support to those affected by this heartbreaking tragedy.”

In a social media post following the shooting, North Sewickley police said it was “a contained incident” and that there was no threat to the public.

Jennifer Lanham, who worked nearby the home, was told by one of her employees that police asked to close their store out of abundance of caution. She said she can’t believe something like this would happen in such a small community.

“Everybody here knows everybody. You know, we’re a very tight-knit community. Everybody looks out for everybody. So something like this is a tragedy beyond compare here,” Lanham said.

According to the DA, that abundance of caution was due in part to screams one neighbor claimed they heard. SWAT was called to check the area with drones, but it was later determined that the noise likely came from one of the many animals that were on the Hunt’s property.

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“It’s really scary. It’s really hard to really wrap your head around something like this because that’s a multiple homicide in a small, small town. You just don’t hear that every day, and it’s staggering,” Lanham said.

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