By all accounts, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s Lt. Hans Walters, 52, was a hard-working, well-adjusted officer who loved his job and family. Friends and co-workers are searching for the reasons why he killed his wife, 5-year-old son, and after a brief standoff with police on Monday, Jan. 21, set his home ablaze and killed himself.
The unbelievable story took place in the Walters’ home located in Boulder City, Nev., 20 miles from Las Vegas according to U.S. News.
The story begins with Lt. Walters calling 911 to say that he not only killed his wife, Kathryn Walters, a 46-year-old retired police officer, and their 5-year-old son Maximilian – but that he was getting ready to burn their house down and would kill anyone trying to stop him.
When SWAT arrived on the scene, they found the house already on fire and Lt. Walters outside the family home holding “what looked like a handgun.”
"Put your gun down!" an officer shouted, according to a neighbor.
After several attempts on the part of SWAT to get Walters to surrender his weapon, Walters just ran back inside the burning home. Police believe that is when the lt. took his own life.
Once the police were able to get into the home, they found the bodies of Kathryn and Maximilian Walters – both with gunshot wounds to their heads.
Lt. Hans Walters was a 20-year veteran of the Las Vegas police.
Friends, co-workers, and those that knew Walters have no idea as to a motive for the murder-suicide.
Randy Sutton, a retired Las Vegas officer worked alongside Walters for years according to CNN.
"There's no rhyme or reason," Sutton said, saying the lieutenant was hard-working and seemed well-adjusted.
This is "the most unconscionable, dishonorable thing to do I can ever imagine," he added.
"The memories I have of him, they mean nothing to me anymore."
Also see:
- N.M. teen planned on continuing shooting spree at Walmart after killing family
- Murder-suicide at Texas dad's daughter's sweet 16 party
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