Two teenage sisters in the Klamath Tribes community were fatally shot in front of their father by a gunman who was discovered inside their Oregon home, according to police and news reports.
Police in Klamath Falls responded to calls early on June 29 about a man hiding in the residence and pointing a weapon at the family.
As they arrived, officers heard gunfire, entered the home and arrested suspect Elijah Albert Qinkade Croy , 20, who was found next to the sisters, KDRV reported.
They also found Aleeka Qualls, 19, and her sister, Zion Qualls, 14, in the home where they lived with their dad, Tashka Qualls, HuffPost reported.
One of the sisters was found dead in the house and the other died after being transported to a nearby hospital.
Officers arrested Elijah Albert Croy, 20, who was found near the sisters, KDRV reported.
"Croy admitted to me he had shot and killed both ... using a Glock style handgun he had purchased in individual parts and then assembled into a working handgun himself," a Klamath Falls police officer told the station.
"He stated he had done this after he had attempted to murder the girl's father ... who had discovered him inside of his daughter's bedroom," the officer added.
Authorities are also investigating whether Croy sexually assaulted the sisters.
The probable cause statement for Croy's arrest, obtained by KDRV, reported that Croy tried to shoot the dad "but his handgun failed to fire after he pulled the trigger."
Croy was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, first-degree attempted murder and three counts of unlawful use of a weapon.
He is being held without bail.
The Klamath Tribes said in a statement that the community is in mourning over the loss of the sisters and called for justice.
"The Klamath Tribes has continued to experience an unprecedented amount of violent crime, and many of these crimes do not appear to be properly investigated, prosecuted, and addressed," the council said in a statement. "This most recent murder must be immediately and fully investigated, holding any and all criminals accountable for their crimes."
"I want to see supreme justice for these two Indigenous sisters," Klamath Tribes Treasurer Brandi Hatcher said.
The Klamath Tribes also included a statement from Tashka Qualls.
"There are no words to express how I feel about the loss of my daughters and the love that I feel from our community. This has shattered me to the core, and I never want anyone to have to feel the pain that I am feeling at this time," he said.
The teens' mother, Crystal Davis, "is not doing well at all," her sister, Courtney Franklin, told HuffPost.
"We're just really shocked and shook to the core," Franklin said, adding that the victims were not just sisters, but best friends.
A GoFundMe campaign has been organized to help Tashka Qualls and family with funeral expenses, memorials, and "time for healing." The girls were the "center of their father's world," said fundraising organizer April Keeting.
