Police: 3 fatally shot at Iowa state park; gunman also dead

(AP) – Police say three family members were shot to death while camping in a state park in eastern Iowa, and the suspected gunman died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation said in a statement that officers responded to reports of a shooting at the Maquoketa Caves State Park Campground before 6:30 a.m. Friday.

Division assistant director Mitch Mortvedt says officers found three people shot dead in a tent. Mortvedt says the three were related, but did not say how or give their names.

Law enforcement later found 23-year-old Anthony Sherwin, of Nebraska, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a wooded area. Mortvedt says investigators don’t believe he had any prior relationship with the victims.

“I’m horrified by the shooting this morning at Maquoketa Caves State Park and devastated by the loss of three innocent lives. As we grieve this unimaginable tragedy, Kevin and I pray for the victims’ family members and the law enforcement officers who responded to the scene. We ask Iowans to do the same,” said Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds.