Maryland police identify 7-year-old Mason Holcombe as murder suicide victim, killed by father Joshua Holcombe
The Cecil County Sheriff Office in Maryland have identified the 7-year-old boy shot and killed in a murder suicide as Mason Holcombe.
Mason was found dead as deputies, Maryland State Police troopers and Town of Rising Sun police officers responded to the 1100 block of Ridge Road in Rising Sun around 3:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Officers also found Joshua Holcombe, 33, dead from a self-inflicted suicide. He was identified as the boy’s father.
Mason was transported by helicopter to the R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland Medical Center in downtown Baltimore where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
“Any time it involves a child, it’s extremely difficult,” said Lt. Michael Holmes with the Cecil County Sheriff’s Office.
Police stated that there was a disturbance inside the home and when the shooting took place, there were three other family members, including two adults and a young child, present.
“They did observe the incident where the male shot the child multiple times and then turned the gun on himself and shot himself,” Holmes said.
Witnesses described a disagreement that did not involve the boy, described by Holmes as “an innocent victim.”
Joshua’s older brother, Justin, said online that the shooting seemed like “a bad dream” and that his brother was a great father who loved his kids.
“This is the last thing I want to be doing right now. But as I wake up wishing it was all a bad dream I’m confronted with the news and social media about the unfathomable tragedy that my family is trying to deal with right now. My little brother adored his children and his family. He was the best father I’ve ever seen. None of this makes any sense,” Justin Holcombe said in a Facebook post. “I beg some of you… cause there’s always a few… to please, please refrain from spilling your uninformed opinions all over social media.”
“We are all completely baffled and our centers are fractured at their cores. I honestly don’t know what is even real anymore. I need time. My family needs time,” Holcombe continued. “Please allow the dust to settle and for us to get the closest thing to the truth that we can get before stories are told and theories are developed. We simply can’t understand why. It doesn’t make any sense.”
Mason had previously attended Cecil County Public Schools but was currently enrolled in a private school in Chester County, Pennsylvania for the current school year.
The Sheriff’s Office is being assisted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore. Anyone who has questions regarding the press release may contact Lieutenant Michael Holmes at (443) 309 0201.
photo/Alan Cleaver
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