A shooting spree following an alleged domestic dispute left six members of a family dead across multiple locations in Iowa's Muscatine city, police said.

Police said officers were dispatched to a home shortly after noon following reports of a shooting.

When they arrived, they found four people inside the home suffering from gunshot wounds. All four were pronounced dead at the scene.

Cops quickly identified the suspected shooter as Ryan Willis McFarland (52) of Muscatine. According to police, McFarland had left the house before officers arrived.

A manhunt was launched for McFarland. Police soon zeroed in on him. "While talking to Ryan Willis McFarland, he took his own life," Muscatine Police Chief Anthony Kies said at a press briefing.

Officers and emergency personnel attempted life-saving measures, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

As investigators pieced together the events, they uncovered evidence suggesting additional victims were involved.

Police subsequently found two other men dead from apparent gunshot wounds at a second residence and at a local business. Both deaths were linked to the same investigation, authorities said.

The shootings left seven people dead in total, including McFarland.

Preliminary findings indicate the violence stemmed from a domestic dispute, Kies said. It is believed that all the victims were related to McFarland.

The deaths have shaken the eastern Iowa community of Muscatine, a city of about 23,000 people located along the Mississippi River.

"Today I simply do not have the words -- this act of evil and what it has done to our community," the police chief said.

Authorities have not released the identities of the victims as they work to notify family members.

Police said there is no ongoing threat to the public. Further investigation is underway.

Source: India Today 

--Agencies