Police: St. Charles dad fatally shot twin daughters, himself
A St. Charles father shot and killed his twin daughters in their home Friday before fatally shooting himself, police said Sunday.
Randall R. Coffland, 48, and his 16-year-old daughters, Brittany S. Coffland and Tiffany S. Coffland, each were found dead with a single gunshot wound to the head, Deputy Police Chief David Kintz said.
The girls' mother, Anjum S. Coffland, 46, was shot in the legs and is in stable condition, police said.
Kintz said police are still investigating what caused Randall Coffland to shoot his family members and himself.
Officers were dispatched about 5:12 p.m. to the family's condominium on the 400 block of South First Street after both Anjum and Randall Coffland called police.
In recordings of the 911 calls released Sunday, Anjum Coffland can be heard screaming her daughters' names and telling dispatchers her husband killed her girls. She said she had been shot in the legs and was going into shock.
In a separate call, Randall Coffland told 911 operators he shot his kids and wife, and planned to kill himself next.
When officers arrived, they found Anjum Coffland injured inside the residence and carried her downstairs to an awaiting ambulance. Kintz said it appears both of her legs were hit by a single gunshot.
One of the daughters was found dead on the couch and the other in a bedroom, Kintz said. Randall Coffland was found in the master bathroom.
Two handguns were found inside the home - one in the closet and another near Randall Coffland, police said. A single bullet casing was found near each victim.
Coffland had a valid firearm owners identification card, Kintz said, though police have yet to determine who owned the guns or where they came from.
Police have no indication there was a struggle leading up to the shooting, Kintz said, and there was "nothing strewed about to show there was a fight." The Kane County coroner's office is expected to perform autopsies Monday.
"This was a tragic and horrific event," Kintz said. "Our entire community mourns the loss of the victims."
Anjum and Randall were married but had been living at separate addresses at the time of Friday's shooting, Kintz said. Randall was living with both daughters in the condominium, he said. Police are unsure why Anjum was there Friday.
Brittany and Tiffany were students at St. Charles East High School. They would have had their 17th birthdays Tuesday, police said.
"I'm not aware of any custody agreements they had or even where they were in the process of separation," Kintz said.
Police said they had responded Feb. 9 to a report of domestic trouble involving the couple at Anjum's apartment, also in St. Charles. Though police are not releasing that report, they say there was no physical violence at that time.