3 Sons Killed in Okla. Murder-Suicide Were 'Hunted' by Dad, Who Also Murdered Wife Before Killing Himself: Police

"The children were hunted down and killed," Oklahoma City Police Sgt. Gary Knight said of the April 22 murders committed by 42-year-old Jonathan Candy

Authorities believe the three sons who were fatally shot by their father in their Oklahoma home this week in an apparent murder-suicide were “hunted” by him.

According to Oklahoma City police, Jonathon Candy, 42, killed his wife, Lindsay Candy, 39, after the two "became involved in an altercation" and then fatally shot three of their four children — Dylan Candy, 18, Ethan Candy, 14, and Lucas Candy, 12, on April 22. Jonathon then died by suicide.

At a Tuesday, April 23, press conference, Oklahoma City Police Sgt. Gary Knight shared additional information regarding the murders.

Related: 10-Year-Old Sole Survivor of Family Murder-Suicide Called 911 After Discovering Bodies: Police

“Make no mistake. What happened in that residence was nothing short of a massacre," Knight told reporters, according to Fox News. “The children were hunted down and killed.”

Officers responded to the home that morning after the couple’s 10-year-old son — and sole survivor — called 911 around 9:35 a.m. saying that “everyone inside the home appeared to be dead,” PEOPLE previously reported, citing police. Police said at the press conference that the child woke up to discover his family dead.

Police said the child was unharmed and confirmed that he's currently in the care of a relative.

Rhonda Armstrong, who knew Ethan through his baseball team, called the murders a “nightmare,” according to KOKH-TV.

Related: Police Believe Okla. Dad Fatally Shot Wife, 3 of Their Children Before Turning Gun on Himself

"I kept asking [my son] Cooper to please Snap[chat] and text Ethan. And: has he seen Ethan today? Has he talked to them? And I was calling Lindsay. And I was messaging Dylan. And then nobody would respond,” said Armstrong, who described herself to the outlet as the “team mom.” “I just wish the nightmare would be over.”

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Police have not shared a motive for the violence. They asked anyone with information to call the Homicide Tip-Line at 405-297-1200.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

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