Husband of mum who shot and killed her three children before turning gun on herself defends wife in statement
The husband of a mother who shot herself after shooting four of her children, killing three, has defended her in a statement.
Wyoming police said they received a 911 call from a woman 'reporting gunshots that occurred inside her home', at around 1:30pm local time on Monday (10 February).
Both Fox 13 Now and Associated Press have identified the woman who made the call as Tranyelle Harshman, 32.
Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office said their communications centre 'received a 911 call from a female subject reporting gunshots that occurred inside her home and further reported her daughters had been shot'.
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"The female caller further reported to the dispatcher the locations of the victims," police said. "Two children would be located upstairs in their cribs and two children would be located downstairs in their shared bedroom.
"The caller further stated she could be found in her upstairs bedroom and that she was going to do the same to herself."
Her husband, Cliff Harshman, told Cowboy State Daily that his wife had been receiving treatment for mental health issues, such as PTSD and postpartum depression.
“My wife is not a monster,” he said. “Most people don’t understand how that affects the brain. It’s a chemical imbalance … And it can be exacerbated by trying to fix it with medication.”
Harshman was reportedly found alive in her Byron home, but later died from her wounds in hospital. Only one of her daughters, seven, survived, as all four had been shot in head.
When police arrived to the scene, Harshman's two-year-old and nine-year-old daughters were dead, and the seven-year-old and another two-year-old were found alive, according to PEOPLE.
The second two-year-old died at the scene, and the seven-year-old was taken to a local hospital.
“This is so out of character. It’s unbelievable what had happened,” Cliff added. “We’d been getting her help, and along the way something didn’t work.
“As angry as I may be with her, I still love her — and I still lost her as well.”
Harshman's friend, Briana Baker, also told the Scripps News Group: "You never know what someone is struggling with inside of their mind. Tranyelle was not the monster this tragedy makes her seem to be. Her loved ones don’t want her to be remembered for her darkest moments.
"She was sweet, loving and funny. Her children were her main focus in life."
Two GoFundMe campaigns have been launched to support the family in this tough time, and you can donate here and here.
LADbible Group has contacted Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office for comment.
Anish Vij