A man distraught over the loss of his job reportedly shot to death his wife and five children, before killing himself in their Wilmington home today. Wilmington is a Los Angeles suburb. The man has been identified as Ervin Lupoe who was apparently terminated from his job at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in West Los Angeles last week.
Lupoe’s wife, Ana, had been fired from her position at the same Kaiser facility recently as well. The Los Angeles County Coroner’s office has not identified the children who are said to be between 2-and-8; including two sets of twins.
The father reportedly faxed a letter and called a local ABC TV station before apparently carrying out the grisly suicide-murder plan. Also, there’s a report of a male making a 9-1-1 call about the family prior to the shootings as well.
At a news conference this afternoon an emotional Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said: “No words can describe this tragedy.”
A community meeting is planned for today to help the neighbors of the Lupoe family deal with the tragedy.