An Antioch couple died this morning in an apparent murder-suicide that left their two children orphaned, police said.
Police received a call shortly after 4 a.m. from a man who had just spoken with a despondent male friend who said he had shot his wife and was about to shoot himself, Antioch police Capt. Allan Cantando said
A short time later, police received a second call from a man in the 1700 block of Mt. Hamilton Drive who told them he had shot his wife and wanted to kill himself.
Officers responded to the man's two-story home and tried to contact him.
At about 11 a.m. the Police Department's SWAT team entered the home and found a man and woman dead in the master bedroom, Cantando said. It appears both died of gunshot wounds.
The victims have been identified but police weren't releasing their names this afternoon because they didn't know if their two children, a 12-year-old boy and a 9-year-old girl, had been told of their deaths.
The children were not home when the shooting happened and are staying with family members.
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Investigators found a note suggesting that the couple was having marital and financial problems, Cantando said. There had been no prior reports of domestic violence at the home, he said.
The neighborhood surrounding the home was blocked off and residents were told to stay indoors until police determined there was no threat to the public.
A woman answering the phone at nearby Dallas Ranch Middle School said the school was locked down from about 10:20 a.m. until just after 11 a.m. She said all the students are safe.
