A man has killed his wife and two children, including a baby, in Ixelles using a firearm, according to daily newspaper Le Soir.
Local police made the grim discovery after they were called to a house on Jeanne Street, confirmed Mayor Christos Doulkeridis on Saturday afternoon.
According to the Brussels public prosecutor's office, Brussels-Ixelles police received a call on Saturday morning from a family member who was worried that he had not had contact with a relative for some time.
The police went to the house on avenue Jeanne in Ixelles and found a man inside. After long insistence by the officers, the suspect agreed to open the door.
According to the public prosecutor's office, three deceased victims were found in the house. They were a 40-year-old woman and two children, aged 13 and 1. The woman and the youngest child appear to have died from gunshot wounds. The cause of death of the third victim is still under investigation.
The 54-year-old man found in the house appears to be the victim's partner. He has been deprived of his liberty by the police.
The Brussels public prosecutor's office has been informed, and a judicial exclusion perimeter has been set up. The laboratory of the Federal Judicial Police, a ballistics expert and a forensic doctor were called in by the Brussels Public Prosecutor's Office.
An examining magistrate has been requested for murder. The examining magistrate and the public prosecutor will visit the scene again on Saturday. According to the initial findings of the investigation, the events took place on Friday evening.
At this stage of the investigation, the exact circumstances are unclear.
The investigation is ongoing and, in the interests of the investigation and out of respect for the family, the public prosecutor's office has not released any further details for the time being.
Mayor Christos Doulkeridis visited the scene on Saturday morning. He declined to comment but specified that an investigative judge has been appointed to the case.
