This Utah man has allegedly taken the lives of his entire family and himself in a moment of rage following the news of his wife filing for divorce two weeks earlier.
The small town of Enoch in Southern Utah is currently enveloped in sadness following the news of this unfortunate incident.
Keep reading for the details.
According to court records, Tausha Haight filed for divorce from Michael Haight on December 21st, and her lawyer affirmed that Michael was served with the papers on December 27th.
Authorities then confirmed that he fatally shot seven family members, including his five children between 4 and 17 years and his wife, before taking his own life. The tragedy struck two weeks after his wife sought the annulment of their union.
Michael didn't limit the shooting to his immediate family as his mother-in-law, 78-year-old Gail Earl, was also shot dead. The reasons for Tausha seeking to end their union were not immediately known.
According to an eyewitness account, Tausha and other family members were spotted at a church group for young women the night before the killing happened.
Things began to look suspicious after someone reported that Tausha had missed an appointment earlier in the week, prompting the community to alert police officers who arrived for a welfare check on the Haight family.
Upon arriving at the house, officers found their bodies, including three girls and two boys, Tausha, Michael, and Gail Earl, inside their home, still fully decorated with beaming Christmas lights.
Officials at the scene who confirmed Michael's role in the murder have revealed no one currently posed a threat to the community or any fleeing suspects.
Enoch City Manager Rob Dotson stated that the family was quite popular in the community. They've served in the local church and attended school within the community. He described it as a painful loss surrounded by lots of questions.
"This community at this time is hurting. They're feeling loss, they're feeling pain and they have a lot of questions," said Dotson at the live press conference on KSL 5 TV.
James Park, who represented Tausha in the divorce case, revealed to ABC News that Tausha did not, at any point in their conversation, which has occurred only twice, describe Michael as dangerous enough to hurt her physically.
Karine Jean-Pierre released a statement on behalf of the President and the first lady of the United States and commiserated with Enoch City over the shooting. In her statement, the press secretary stressed the evils of gun violence and how it's the leading cause of death for children in America.
“Less than one month after we marked 10 years since the Sandy Hook tragedy, another mass shooting has claimed the lives of five more children in Enoch City.”
The 42-year-old, who would have turned 43 on January 7, worked as an insurance agent and received an award for customer satisfaction at Allstate Insurance, based out of Cedar City, Utah.
However, a family friend claimed he had quit his job days before the shooting.
Local news outlets and Twitter accounts have been providing frequent updates, including photos of the scene where a memorial has been steadily growing. Flowers and stuffed toys are piling up as community members pay their respects.
Enoch is one of the fastest developing cities in Utah with about 8000 residents and is located 245 miles south of Salt Lake City and about the same mile from Las Vegas.
Michael and Tausha Haight married at a temple in St. George in 2003. The late woman was from Overton, Nevada, which is located just two hours south of Cedar City, where Michael grew up.
