By RIA Novosti
Washington : A 20-year-old old US police officer went on the rampage, killing six people, including his girlfriend, before being shot by a police sniper, media reported.
The slayings occurred at around 3.00 a.m. Sunday at a house in Crandon in the state of Wisconsin. The officer opened fire at local youths who had gathered at the house to “eat pizza and watch movies”.
The gunman was identified as Tyler Peterson. Local police chief John Dennee said that Peterson worked full time for the Forest County Sheriff’s Office and part time as a Crandon police officer. He was not on duty at the time of the massacre.
Preliminary reports indicate that Peterson launched his attack after an argument with his 17-year-old girlfriend. The killings have been described as a “crime of passion” by local US media.
At least three of the dead were high school students. One of the victims, Lindsey Stahl, was 14. A seventh youth is in a critical condition in hospital.
Crandon has a population of around 2,000 people, and is about 360 km north of Milwaukee.
It is as yet unclear if the gun used was Peterson’s service weapon.
The right to “keep and bear arms” is enshrined in the second amendment to the US Constitution.