An hours-long standoff in a Kennewick neighborhood turned into a homicide investigation after police discovered three people dead inside a home.
Nabil Mohamed, 65, Hifza Khan, 63, and Zuhaid Mohamed, 26, were found dead inside the house on the 2800 block of South Dawes Street about 12:45 p.m., according to a news release from the Kennewick Police Department.
Police say they are investigating if this is a double homicide and a suicide but they said it was too early in the investigation to draw a conclusion.
Initially, officials were contacted by a family member who could not reach Nabil Mohamed and his wife by phone on Monday and was concerned they were missing, police Commander Aaron Clem told the Herald.
Investigators believed the couple were at their home on South Dawes Street, and officers got a search warrant to enter the house.
When investigators thought Nabil's son, Zuhaid, might also be inside with the couple, the Tri-City Regional SWAT Team was called to help search the house. Khan was Zuhaid's stepmother.
Southridge High School and Chinook Middle School were placed on a temporary lockdown Tuesday morning while officers were active in the area near the house.
After surrounding the home, police tried to get the attention of the anyone inside and didn't get a response, Clem said.
Officers then went inside and found their bodies.
Information on how they died or how long they may have been dead wasn't released Tuesday evening.
At the moment, police were not searching for any suspects in connection with the deaths, but officials said that could change depending on what their investigation finds.
Clem said police have no record of any previous interactions with any of the family members.
Anyone with information about the family or the deaths is asked to contact Kennewick police using the non-emergency dispatch number at 509-628-0333.
