This Is Inane!
By: Tommy “Tj” Sotomayor

There were “warning signs” a teen was about to shoot his family including three children, according to the suspect’s cousin.

The 14-year-old boy, whose name hasn’t been released by police, allegedly shot dead five members of his family including three children on Monday at their home in Elkmont, in the US state of Alabama.

The adult victims were identified as the suspect’s father, 38-year-old John Sisk, and Mary Sisk, the boy’s 35-year-old stepmother. The dead included a five-year-old sister, a six-year-old brother and a six-month-old baby boy.

All three siblings were related. The accused was their stepbrother.

It’s not clear what his motivation was.

But the teen’s cousin Daisy McCarty told local news outlet WAFF that the accused only recently found out Mrs Sisk wasn’t actually his biological mum.

She added that he only recently “began acting out” after learning the news from the parents he is now accused of killing.

“I think that’s really what triggered the little boy, to be honest with you,” she told WAFF.

“They said he was burning animals alive.”

None of the children involved including the accused have been publicly identified.

Tributes to ‘wonderful man’ and ‘amazing woman’

On Facebook, friends have paid tribute to the family.

One woman praised Mr Sisk, who she nicknamed “Dub” as a “wonderful man”.

“He bent over backwards to help my mother every chance he could,” she wrote.

“I know this family will miss you and be entirely grateful for (what) you did for our mum.”

Another woman added “Dub” was a “true humanitarian” dedicated to helping others.

A man called him “the nicest guy”.

A woman called Mrs Sisk an amazing woman. “I will miss her very much,” she wrote.

Huntsville City Schools told news station WAFF Mrs Sisk was a special education teacher at Mountain Gap Middle School.

“We are heartbroken to learn of the tragedy involving one of our teachers, Mary Sisk, and her family,” school spokesman Keith Ward told WAFF.

Limestone County Sheriff’s spokesman Stephen Young said Tuesday that the teen is being held in a juvenile facility and faces five counts of murder in the juvenile court system.

Mr Young said the teen confessed to the killings after being confronted about discrepancies in his story.

He later helped investigators find a handgun he had tossed on the side of the road.