A father was heard screaming a chilling message about death and money in the street just ten minutes before he shot dead six members of his own family across multiple locations in an Iowa city, police have confirmed.
Ryan Willis McFarland, 52, carried out a series of domestic violence-fuelled shootings in Muscatine, Iowa, on Monday afternoon before taking his own life as officers closed in on him near the city’s riverfront trail. The massacre claimed the lives of six people believed to be his relatives, including two students and two school district employees, sending shockwaves through the close-knit community.
Neighbour Melissa Weggen told the Muscatine Journal she heard McFarland walking past her home around noon, shouting in the street. “I heard him walk by my house, saying ‘Don’t worry about money. Everything goes away when you die,'” she said. Weggen said she immediately recognised McFarland and described him as a “decent guy” she had seen regularly walking past with his wife and youngest child, often holding hands, on their way to exercise their pugs. “They had yard sales, lots of yard sales, like every weekend,” she said.
Around twenty minutes after hearing the outburst, a massive law enforcement presence descended on the block. Officers used loudspeakers to order someone inside a property to come out with their hands up. Weggen said she then heard a single shot before seeing emergency personnel step back from the scene.
Police were first called to the 200 block of Park Avenue shortly after 12.15pm following reports of gunfire, arriving to find four people with gunshot wounds who were all pronounced dead at the scene. As the investigation expanded, detectives found two further victims at separate locations — one man discovered dead in his home and another inside a business on Grandview Avenue. Muscatine Police Chief Anthony Kies confirmed that McFarland was spoken to by officers before taking his own life. “Today I simply do not have the words,” Kies said. “This act of evil and what it has done to our community.” He confirmed McFarland had a criminal record but declined to provide further details.
The Muscatine Community School District confirmed that two of the victims were students and two others were district employees, saying in a statement: “Our hearts are broken by this unimaginable loss.” Counsellors and support services were made available from Tuesday morning at five schools across the district. Superintendent Clint Christopher said: “We encourage anyone who needs support to take advantage of these resources and to check in with one another. The strength of our district has always been found in the care and compassion we show each other during difficult times.”
The scale of the violence reverberated through the wider community. Weggen’s daughter Sarah Ziegenhorn, 20, who graduated with one of McFarland’s children, described her as “really sweet. Liked everyone, thought about everyone. She just had a big heart.” State Senator Janice Weiner wrote: “We don’t know a lot, but we know enough to recognise that this is a tragedy of massive proportions. My heart goes out to the entire Muscatine community.”
Authorities have not yet released the names of the victims. The city’s police department is continuing to investigate and has asked anyone with information to contact the major crimes unit.
