A man has fatally stabbed his sister, badly injured his mother and fatally stabbed himself in an attack in a block of flats in Wolverhampton.
Police were called at around 9.45am on Wednesday and used stun grenades “in a bid to distract and detain the knifeman” as they entered the flat in the high-rise Highfield Court block in the Merry Hill area of the city.
The sister, 33, died at the scene. Her brother, 36, was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.
Their 59-year-old mother was taken to hospital with critical stomach injuries, West Midlands Police said. She has undergone surgery but remains in a critical condition.
One officer suffered a minor knife injury to his arm, while another suffered a leg injury.
Wolverhampton Police Superintendent Keith Fraser said: “Our officers knew there was an armed man behind the front door of that flat; they acted swiftly and with huge courage to quickly gain entry and later detain the man.
“Local officers, response colleagues and firearms officers were all involved in the operation.
“This is a truly shocking incident and our sympathies go out to the friends and family of those involved.”
Photos taken by witnesses showed three air ambulances at the scene.
Kelsey Nuttall, who lives on the 13th floor of Highfield Court, was walking her dogs outside when police rushed by.
She told The Birmingham Mail: “He told me to go run down the street and stay well away as ‘there is a madman on the loose.’
“Suddenly there was lots of police here - there must have been at least 10 vans and officers started running into the flats.”
Investigating officer Detective Inspector Warren Hines added: “We’re working hard to get to the bottom of exactly what happened.
“Anyone with information they believe could help our enquiry, anything that may have happened in the hours or days before this tragic event, I’d urge them to get in touch with me.”
The case has been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.