CORBIN, Ky. (AP) - A 16-year-old boy killed in a shootout Saturday with police in Maryland, prompted the search of his home more than 500 miles away in Kentucky, where authorities found the bodies of his parents and younger sister.
Friends and relatives of Jason Hendrix were struggling to understand how the boy, a faithful churchgoer who was baptized just two months ago, could end up as the suspect in the slayings.
Hendrix, a Kentucky high school ROTC student and active church member, was angry at his parents for taking away his computer privileges when he's suspected of killing his family execution-style before fleeing to Maryland, where he died in a shootout with police, the town's police chief said Sunday.
Police believe the victims were gunned down late Wednesday afternoon in their home, Corbin Police Chief David Campbell said. The father still had on his sport coat and tie from work when he was shot twice in the head. The mother was ambushed as she stepped into the kitchen from the garage after arriving home from work.
The couple's 16-year-old son, Jason Hendrix, fled in his parent's green Honda Pilot, armed with four weapons and a backpack full of ammunition, Campbell said.
"Right now all the evidence points toward him as being the shooter," the chief said.
Baltimore County Police said Sunday the teenager shot a police officer Saturday after crashing the Honda Pilot into a silver sedan. At least six officers opened fire on Hendrix, who was pronounced dead at the scene. Maryland State Police say they initially sought to pull over Hendrix Saturday for a speeding violation.
Police found a gas receipt showing that the teen had been in New Jersey on Thursday.
The teenager was angry at his parents for taking away his computer privileges a couple of days before the slayings, Campbell said.
"The mother had talked to a co-worker and told her that he was really mad about that," the chief said.
The family members found dead Saturday in their home were Kevin and Sarah Hendrix and their daughter, Grace, who was about 12, Campbell said. The mother was shot twice in the face. The girl was shot twice in the head and once in the arm. The shooter fired into pillows at close distance, the chief said.
"He left them where they were and put the pillows over their heads," Campbell said.
Jason Hendrix met up with friends at church that evening and showed no signs of distress.
"They said he was just like he usually is," Campbell said.
Police didn't know why the suspect decided to flee to the East Coast. The family had no relatives in Baltimore, Campbell said.
"We have no clue why he went up there," the chief said.