2-year-old child found asleep at scene of double murder-suicide

A 2-year-old child was found asleep Sunday evening inside a Palm Springs apartment that was the scene of a double murder-suicide, police said.

The child was not physically harmed during the shooting that resulted in the deaths of a man and two women, said Sgt. Harvey Reed of the Palm Springs Police Department.

An employer of one of the dead found the child sleeping inside the apartment in the 2700 block of East Tahquitz Canyon Way.

Police said the man likely shot and killed his two female relatives before turning the gun on himself. Police have not released their names.

Citing an ongoing investigation, Reed said no further details would be released about the man’s relationship to the women and the child.

The employer and family members visited the apartment to check on the man and women. They tried calling them and knocked on the door several times.

As they entered the apartment, they found the dead man and women.

Police went to the apartment about 5:15 p.m. after the employer and family members called to report possible gunshot victims.

No gunfire or disturbances were reported at the apartment before the man and women were found. Police did recover firearms inside the apartment.

The child was taken to a hospital for observation. The Riverside County Department of Social Services will release the child to family members.

The deaths are the first homicides this year in Palm Springs.

Three homicides -- one of which was a domestic incident; another is still under investigation -- occurred last year, Reed said.

For breaking news, follow @VeronicaRochaLA