Sheriff’s Department: Pierce County man kills nephew, shoots self

ROY, Wash. – The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department said a man killed his 12-year-old nephew with a machete before fatally shooting himself in the head.

Deputies investigating a car crash early Sunday found a man dead inside a vehicle that hit a fence at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

The News Tribune reports that a couple of hours later, someone called 911 to report a neighbor screaming about finding his grandson dead in their Roy area home. The deceased driver also lived at that address.

Sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said it’s unclear why 27-year-old Christian Brayton killed the boy in the home they shared. Detectives found the gun in the vehicle and a machete in the home.

The boy’s grandfather said he last saw his son and grandson Saturday night.