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BALTIMORE, Maryland (AP) -- It was a scene that horrified even veteran police officers: three children decapitated.
The two 9-year-old girls and 10-year-old boy were found by their mother when she returned to their apartment late Thursday afternoon.
"I've been around for 35 years and I've seen, unfortunately, my share of murders, but I've never seen something as bad as this," said Deputy Police Commissioner Kenneth Blackwell.
The first officer on the scene "couldn't handle it" and had to give the call to another officer, Blackwell said.
Late Thursday, homicide detectives were questioning an unidentified "person of interest" in connection with the crime.
The children had returned home from school about 3:30 p.m., Blackwell said. A weapon was found outside the apartment.
The mother, who speaks Spanish and little English, notified a neighbor when she made the discovery about 5:45 p.m. The neighbor called 911.
The mother gave police information about where to find the man being questioned, Blackwell said.
Officers found the man a few blocks away from the crime scene. Blackwell said the man's relationship to the children, if any, was not known.
"We see this as an isolated incident," Blackwell said. "Neighbors have no reason to be concerned" about their safety.
Al Johnson is the neighbor who called 911.
"They were very nice, cordial kids," Johnson said. "It's such a shock to everyone. "It's a very quiet, peaceful community."
Johnson said there are "three or four" Hispanic families in the largely Orthodox Jewish complex who are close.
Matt Teichman, 17, a student at Talmudical Academy, was returning home from prayers when he heard the sirens and saw police.
"We walk here late at night and we usually feel safe," he said. "Now, I don't know what to feel. I can't really believe it."
http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/South/05/....ap/index.html
The two 9-year-old girls and 10-year-old boy were found by their mother when she returned to their apartment late Thursday afternoon.
"I've been around for 35 years and I've seen, unfortunately, my share of murders, but I've never seen something as bad as this," said Deputy Police Commissioner Kenneth Blackwell.
The first officer on the scene "couldn't handle it" and had to give the call to another officer, Blackwell said.
Late Thursday, homicide detectives were questioning an unidentified "person of interest" in connection with the crime.
The children had returned home from school about 3:30 p.m., Blackwell said. A weapon was found outside the apartment.
The mother, who speaks Spanish and little English, notified a neighbor when she made the discovery about 5:45 p.m. The neighbor called 911.
The mother gave police information about where to find the man being questioned, Blackwell said.
Officers found the man a few blocks away from the crime scene. Blackwell said the man's relationship to the children, if any, was not known.
"We see this as an isolated incident," Blackwell said. "Neighbors have no reason to be concerned" about their safety.
Al Johnson is the neighbor who called 911.
"They were very nice, cordial kids," Johnson said. "It's such a shock to everyone. "It's a very quiet, peaceful community."
Johnson said there are "three or four" Hispanic families in the largely Orthodox Jewish complex who are close.
Matt Teichman, 17, a student at Talmudical Academy, was returning home from prayers when he heard the sirens and saw police.
"We walk here late at night and we usually feel safe," he said. "Now, I don't know what to feel. I can't really believe it."
http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/South/05/....ap/index.html
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