Christmas Eve murder-suicide leaves 3 dead as kids were in home: cops

Three adults died in an apparent murder-suicide in Florida on Christmas Eve — and a group of little children was at the home at the time of the carnage, police said.

The victims were killed by gunshots, and their bodies were found by authorities responding around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday to a Lakeland home, The Ledger reported.

“It’s a very tragic situation on Christmas Eve that’s going to impact a lot of families,” Lakeland Police Capt. Ed Cain told reporters.

Cain said four young kids were rescued from the scene and are now “in safe hands,” though he didn’t elaborate whether they were in the custody of a government agency or relatives.

The children, who are all under the age of 5, were unharmed in the shooting, news station WFTS reported. It’s unclear what the nature of the relationship was between the adults and children.

Neighbor Mary LaRoy said of the tragedy, “How can that not stay with you? Any time those children think about Christmas, they’re going to think about tonight.

Cain added to reporters, “It’s safe to say the holidays often times put stressors on families and individuals, and how they respond to those situations is, obviously, difficult and taking into account the lives it impacts is tremendous.”

Police did not release further details about the case.