Michigan Mother and Her 3 Young Children Shot Dead, Surviving Daughter Says She’s in ‘Total Shock’

A mom and her three children, all under the age of 10, were found dead in their home on Friday from apparent gunshot wounds

A Michigan community is mourning the loss of a mother and her three children after they were found dead from apparent gunshot wounds inside their home.

According to the Mecosta County Sheriff’s Office, on Friday authorities responded to a report of a man with a gun and shots being fired at a residence in Mecosta Township. When they arrived on the scene, officers discovered three children – all under the age of 10 – and their mother dead.

“The three young siblings have been identified as 6-year-old Katelynn Gillard, 4-year-old Ronald Gillard and 3-year-old Joshua Gillard,” Mecosta County Sheriff’s Office confirmed in a release Monday. “Their mother, 40-year-old Dawn Gillard was also killed, presumably by their father and husband, a 51-year-old male, who then is believed to have turned the firearm on himself, leading to a gunshot wound to the head.”

The man was transported to Spectrum Health Big Rapids Hospital and later transferred to Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids, before being transferred to the University of Michigan Hospital, where he continues to be in critical condition for his injuries, according to the MCSD.

“The male’s name is being withheld until he is arrested and formally charged,” Sheriff Brian Miller added in the news release. “In the near future, information will be limited so as to not jeopardize any future criminal proceedings, and out of respect to the family.”

“No matter how much you prepare yourself for something like this in our line of work, it never is easy. It sticks with you. Our hearts go our to the remaining family members, who have to go on with their lives not having their loved ones part of it,” Sheriff Miller tells PEOPLE in a statement.

“I am speechless, and really have no answer to why and how something like this can happen. We have a strong community, who has always been there for one another during times of need,” he continues. “Although heartbreaking, this tragedy is no different. We will come together, unified in purpose to make sure these kids and their mother are not forgotten, with justice being served.”

“I am in total shock. I am so devastated,” Hailey Salisbury, the daughter of Dawn Gillard and half-sister of the three young children, told local outlet 13 ON YOUR SIDE of learning of the deaths of her family members.

“To have something so tragic happen in your community, it’s very heartbreaking,” Sheriff Miller told MLive on Saturday. “There are no words that can explain what happened.”

“With our first responders, almost everyone at the scene had children of their own. I can tell you they took it very hard,” Sheriff Miller added via the Associated Press.

Roger Coles, the superintendent from Morley Stanwood Elementary School where one of the children went to school, released a statement on Saturday and information about a vigil held in honor of the student, their siblings, and mom, writing in part, “There are a lot of emotions to deal with and to process as a result of this terrible loss. We want to give our Mohawk family and greater community a time and place to mourn, to weep, to pray and to begin healing.”

A candlelight vigil is set to take place at 7 p.m. Monday at the Morley Stanwood football field, where “community members and families can walk the track, sit in the bleachers, visit with friends and families or just sit quietly and reflect.”

Police are asking that anyone with information important to this investigation to contact Detective Sergeant Mike Mohr at (231) 592-0150.