Three women die, son injured in murder-suicide in Maryland

ELKRIDGE, Maryland (AP) — A Maryland man killed three female family members and seriously injured his son before taking his own life, police said Friday.

The motive for the shooting Thursday evening in a row house in the Baltimore suburb of Elkridge is unknown, Sherry Llewellyn, spokeswoman for the Howard County police, said at a press conference.

Neighbors called 911 around 10 p.m. to say they heard gunshots. Around the same time, the suspect called 911 and said he had just shot family members and was planning to take his own life, Llewellyn said.

The victims lived in the townhouse. The suspect, who did not live there, visited the house regularly. There were no signs of a forced entry and police had not received any previous calls to the house, Llewellyn said.

A three-month-old girl was found unharmed.

Police identified the three deceased women as the suspect’s wife, Syeda Aalia Nayyar, 57, his daughter, Syeda Fatima, 25, and his daughter-in-law, Alizey Fatima, 33. The suspect’s son, Muhammad Ali Hamza, 31, was admitted to hospital in critical condition.

The suspect, Nayyar Abbas Syed, 61, later died at a hospital, Llewellyn said.

Llewellyn said the baby was placed in the care of a family member.