Father kills wife, daughters in Lee Twp murder-suicide

A murder-suicide has rocked the close-knit community of Pullman.
Sheriff’s deputies say a father shot and killed his wife and two kids before turning the gun on himself in Allegan County Saturday.
Around 12:35 p.m., deputies with the Allegan County Sheriff’s Office said they got a call from a man who was going to check on his family members inside a two-story home on 54th Street between 112th Avenue and 110th Avenue in Lee Township, near Pullman.
He told dispatchers no one answered the door but he saw his unresponsive niece in the house by looking through a window.
When deputies arrived at the they found Cindy Clouse, 35, Kyle Roger Hagger, 34, and their two daughters, 10 and 13, dead from gunshot wounds. The sheriff’s office did not identify the children.
Initial investigation shows Hagger shot his wife and two daughters before turning the gun on himself, deputies said. It’s not yet clear what led up to the shooting.
A man who identified himself as a long-time friend rushed to the scene after hearing the news from a neighbor.
“I looked at Facebook and I didn’t believe it. Then his cousin called me and I didn’t believe it, and my mom called me and I didn’t believe it. And I’m here because it can’t be real,” Nick LaPoint told WLNS TV.
He said it makes no sense.
“His kids? … Have you ever seen a family that just meshed? That’s them. This can’t happen,” LaPoint said. “Loved his kids more than anything in this world … he’s the best father I’ve ever seen.”
He says he’d talked to Hagger a few days ago.
“He was in a great mood, as usual. He’s always in a good mood,” recalled LaPoint.
One neighbor told News 8 he heard shots around noon today.
“I heard a couple of shots, about three in a row, they were very fast, repetitive. There was like three seconds silence and then after that, maybe another six shots or so, all in a row. It happened very quickly,” said neighbor Kevin Hejtmancik.
The neighbor said the family kept to themselves.
“Two daughters. It’s a horrible, horrible thing. You hear about it, you never think it’s going to happen across the road,” said Hejtmancik.
The Allegan County Sheriff’s Office is still investigating. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Allegan County Sheriff’s Office at 268.673.0500 or Silent Observer at 855.745.3680.