US:A part-time police officer who killed six people in a shooting rampage in a small Wisconsin town may have been acting in a jealous rage, according to the family of one of his victims. Tyler Peterson (20), a deputy sheriff who worked part-time as a police officer, opened fire early on Sunday morning on a group of young people who had gathered to eat pizza and watch movies during their high school's homecoming weekend.
Six people aged between 14 and 21 died in the shootings and a seventh, the only survivor, is in a serious condition in hospital.
Peterson died during a shootout with police later that day after a manhunt that saw the town of Crandon, where the shootings happened, locked down with residents forbidden to leave their homes.
Wisconsin attorney general JB Van Hollen said yesterday that Peterson arrived at the apartment where the party was happening shortly after 2am on Sunday.
"An argument ensued. Peterson then left the building and returned with a rifle from his truck," Mr Van Hollen said.
Some 30 rounds were fired from the AR15 weapon, the same rifle that is used by the local sheriff's department.
After Peterson fled the scene, he fired several rounds at a local police officer who responded to a call about the earlier shootings. During the hours that followed, Peterson phoned law enforcement officers and confirmed that he had carried out the shootings. Mr Van Hollen said that police eventually tracked Peterson down to a nearby town but failed to persuade him to surrender.
"Shots were fired both by law enforcement and by Mr Peterson," he said.
Mr Van Hollen said, however, that it was too soon to determine exactly how Peterson died - if he was killed by police or shot himself.
The mother of his youngest victim, 14 year-old Lindsey Stahl, said that Peterson may have been a jealous boyfriend.
"I'm waiting for somebody to wake me up right now. This is a bad, bad dream. All I heard it was a jealous boyfriend and he went berserk. He took them all out," Jenny Stahl said.
"She's only 14 - she'll be 15 next month; she's just starting to live. And the sad thing is who killed her - a cop. Cops are supposed to always protect you, I thought, and it's one who took my daughter and how many other people's lives." Crandon mayor Gary Bradley said that the shootings may have been prompted by a "love triangle" and friends of the victims said that Peterson was angry because Lindsey Stahl had started dating someone else.
In a statement issued through a local pastor, Peterson's family expressed sorrow for his victims and said that nothing that had happened before or after the shootings helped them to understand why Peterson acted as he did.
"We are struggling to respond like most of you. We do not know what we should do," they said.