Joliet mom, 2 young kids, dad found dead in apparent murder-suicide identified

JOLIET, Ill. (WLS) -- Four people, including two children, were found dead inside a home in Joliet Wednesday night in an apparent murder-suicide, police said.

Police said shots were fired inside of a home in the 500-block of Whitley Avenue just after 10 p.m. Neighbors said they heard a woman screaming from outside the home when she found the family members dead and called police.

When Joliet police officers entered the home, they said they located a man, woman and two young children deceased inside on the second floor. Police said it appears at this time to be a murder-suicide.

A family member identified the four killed as 28-year-old Jacquelon Gaskin, her two children, 6-year-old Gianna Lee and 1-year-old Giovanni Lee, and the children's father, Brandyn Lee.

Family members are sick over the senseless violence. They said they believe Brandyn Lee shot and killed his own family and then turned the gun on himself.

"My daughter's children's father shot everyone and killed them," said Rusha Brooks, Jacquelon's mother. "He killed everybody."

Rusha Brooks said her daughter and her boyfriend were growing apart and believes her daughter was planning to leave the relationship.

"She was trying to break away from that and that was the trigger," Brooks said. "That was the last bit of control to take everyone away not just himself."

Now family members focus on the memory of their beautiful family, gone but never forgotten.

"Jesus and God are going to handle all of this," said Terrance Brooks, the victim's step father. "My grandchildren and my daughter are going to heaven."

Police said there is no danger to the public. The case is still under investigation.