Three fathers killed their families this week as domestic violence deaths remain high

[Zorro]

In the first two days of June, authorities said, three fathers killed their children and the mothers who raised them. Two used guns. One used a knife. Of the thirteen victims, the youngest was three.

Officials cast the mass killings in Iowa, New York and Florida as “an act of evil,” “the worst of the worst,” and “an unimaginable tragedy,” but Doreen Dodgen-Magee thought of another word: preventable.

For the past three decades, the 60-year-old psychologist has campaigned to prevent domestic violence by telling the story about the day her brother-in-law shot his wife and three daughters. In her view, the country hasn’t done nearly enough to curb what she calls a public health crisis.

Since a pandemic spike, homicides of all kinds have plummeted — except for domestic violence deaths. They have stayed persistently high, The Washington Post found. Attacks in which someone kills four or more relatives have risen this year from a 20-year low, with more incidents in the first half of 2026 than all of last year, according to data from Northeastern University.

https://wapo.st/4g4tKtb

[Scrivener7]

1. In my neighborhood, there was an incident of a man killing his wife and himself.

It turned my stomach when they did a joint funeral and burial for both of them.

I suspect the local church recommended it to the poor children (who were in another part of the house when it happened.)

[Jilly_in_VA]

2. But it's never the guns, right?

It's always a "mental illness" excuse. However, if these mentally ill men hadn't had such easy access to GUNS, maybe such tragedies wouldn't have occurred. Wanna think about that for a minute, Amurrica?

[Deuxcents]

4. I doubt they have time for a rational minute,it's gotta be blamed on something else. Maybe women this time

Since they chose to kill the mothers and then the babies. It’s the women who are not falling in line

[bucolic_frolic]

3. "homicides of all kinds have plummeted -- except for domestic violence deaths."

Highly significant in my view. It sounds to me like these deeply troubled people are disconnecting from external forces that stir their hatred and emotions, and instead are focusing on their internal conflicts which arise from their distorted upbringings and are taking it out (sadly, obviously) on those closest to them. Keeping abuse within the house so to speak. Amateur psych but that's my suspicion.

[Beartracks]

5. Our local radio is always quick to point out when a crime was committed by an immigrant.

But if there was no mention of the resident status of these men on the news, then they were homegrown Americans -- the kind of demographic for which heinous acts are to be treated like unusual outliers.

==================

[AverageOldGuy]

6. Here in Virginia . . .

. . . our new Democratic controlled General Assembly and Democratic governor passed and signed a bill outlawing the sale of assualt-type weapons, large capacity magazines, ghost guns, parts, and the like. Goes into effect on July 1.

Gun stores can't keep AR-15s and all the banned stuff in stock -- "flying off the shelves."

I'm bettiing on a rash of domestic murders starting in a few months.