Horrific shooting in Australia, 7 family members killed

Police investigate the scene of the massacre in Osmington, Australia on May 11 - Photo: EPA

According to NBC (USA), Australian police discovered an entire family of 7, including 4 children, dead from gunshot wounds on May 11 at a house in a rural area in southwestern Australia.

The four children were murdered along with their mother and grandparents. According to local media, the three-generation family had moved to Osmington, a village of fewer than 700 people near the tourist town of Margaret River, in 2015 and had been growing fruit.

Police have not commented on the possibility of a mass suicide by gun, but also said they are not currently looking for any suspects.

Western Australia Police Commissioner Chris Dawson said that after receiving a call early in the morning, police discovered the bodies and two guns at the family home. Police did not say who made the call.

While the bodies of two adults were found outside the house, the remaining body was found inside. All of these people were residents of the house.

Police say they have no information to suggest there are other security risks to the community, which could indicate the shooter is not at large.

Australian police are trying to contact the victims' next of kin. Mr Dawson declined to provide information on their names or ages.

Philip Alpers, a gun policy analyst at the University of Sydney, said the tragedy was perhaps Australia's worst mass shooting since a gunman killed 35 people in Tasmania in 1996, prompting Australia to introduce stricter gun laws.

Under Australian law, farmers are allowed to own guns because they have a legitimate need to deal with large animals or predators.