Man charged for Northern Shouneh shooting spree

AMMAN — The Criminal Court prosecutor on Saturday charged a man with three counts of premeditated murder in connection with the shooting death of three siblings on Thursday in Northern Shouneh, official sources said.

The suspect was also charged with three counts of attempted premeditated murder and is currently in detention pending further investigation, a senior judicial source said.

The suspect reportedly entered the family’s home at around 4:00am on Thursday and “opened fire from a gun he was carrying, killing two brothers, aged 15 and 32, and their 32-year-old sister”, a senior official source told The Jordan Times recently.

The suspect then proceeded to other sections of the house where he fired at the father, two of his sons and the grandson before fleeing,” the senior official source added.

The mother of the children, who was at the house during the shooting spree, escaped unharmed, according to the judicial source, who added that “we still do not have a clear motive behind the shooting other than the old feuds between the suspect and one of the deceased brothers”.

Police Spokesperson Lt. Col. Amer Sartawi on Friday said that the suspect turned himself in to the police. 

“The suspect turned himself in to a police station in the area where the incident occurred and also turned in a weapon believed to have been used in the shootings,” Sartawi told The Jordan Times.

The Criminal Court prosecutor ordered that the gun be sent to the criminal lab for a ballistic match, according to the senior judicial source.

“The Criminal Court prosecutor is expected to question the father and his two sons at hospital in the coming days to learn more about the incident and its motive,” the senior judicial source added.