In Wake Of Father's Fatal Shooting Of Kids, Criminal Defense Attorney Says Domestic Violence Conflict Is Common
SACRAMENTO (CB13) -- The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office confirmed Monday that a father walked into a Sacramento church and killed his children before taking his own life during a court-ordered supervised visit.
"Most likely this was a divorce situation. Most likely involved an allegation of domestic violence or child abuse," said Sacramento criminal defense attorney Allen Sawyer.
Sawyer explained that those are potential circumstances that would force a court to order supervised visits, which are a common repercussion put in place to protect children and partners from their abuser.
"It usually occurs when there's a troubled circumstance that the court has reason to believe that for the health of the children the supervised visits are warranted," Sawyer said.
CBS13 has not confirmed why, specifically, the father was under supervision. Though, Sawyer said the supervisor themselves would have been selected specifically by the court or the parents involved.
"A supervised visit is done by a professional who has had some kind of training, and they're also a mandatory reporter so they would report incidents they see are troubling when they supervise," Sawyer said.
The person supervising the visit Monday was also shot dead by the father.
Sawyer says, in the coming days, the question of accountability will arise: Who is responsible for the death of three young people?