A former Cherokee County resident was charged in the July 10 shooting deaths of his wife, 6-year-old son, 15-month-old son and in-laws in the home they shared in Alameda, Calif.
Shane Killian, 54, of Alameda, attended Murphy High School and has family in Cherokee County. It is unclear when he moved to California.
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San Francisco Bay area news reports called the shooting deaths “the Bay Area’s most shocking and tragic crime in recent memory.”
Alameda County prosecutors filed four counts of murder, one count of attempted murder and other felony charges against Killian. The attempted murder charge is expected to be changed to murder following the death of the younger child.
Area news reported the victims as Killian’s wife, Nathalie Killian; their 6-year-old son, William; 15-month-old son Wesley; and her parents, Miguel Carcamo and Marta Elena Morales.
Shane Killian is a welder who was working at an oil refinery in Martinez, Calif. His Facebook page indicated he once worked for the Tennessee Valley Authority in the area. His wife’s Facebook page indicated the couple married in 2019.
In addition to the murder counts, prosecutors charged Killian with possessing an assault weapon (an AR-15-style rifle of the type banned in California), possessing an “unconventional” pistol, and counts of domestic violence and elder abuse.
He was being held without bail at a jail in Santa Rita, Calif. He is due in court for arraignment Monday, according to news reports.
If convicted on all charges, the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office said Killian faces more than 230 years in prison. California does not have a death penalty.
911 call
Alameda city police were called to Killian’s home in the 400 block of Kitty Hawk Road at 9 p.m. July 10. After he was shot, the father-in-law was able to reach a neighbor’s house for help. The neighbor called 911, and police arrived a short time later.
Police arrived a short time later to find the father-in-law outside, who made a statement to them before dying from a gunshot wound. The statement is under review.
Alameda is a town of about 78,000 people located on an island on the East San Francisco Bay. It is described as a small, peaceful community by Bay Area standards.
The house is about three blocks from the shoreline. It is on a residential street that backs up to a complex of ball fields, a middle school and an elementary school.
Killian emerged from the house moments after police arrived and was taken into custody without incident. Police went into the house and found four more victims – the wife, mother-in-law and older son, who died of “multiple gunshots,” as well as the younger son, who was shot but still alive.
Killian was promptly arrested. Police haven’t said whether he has provided a statement.
Alameda Police Chief Nishant Joshi said in a news conference that the family recently moved to the residence and described victims that included an elderly couple, a 6-year-old and a 1-year-old.
“This is a tragic and sad incident,” Joshi said. “These were the actions of a coward. I know what happened – I have some idea of what happened – and this person’s actions were those of a coward.”
He promised that the family will receive the justice they deserve. He added that first responders were traumatized by the incident.
Past record
Killian served 60 days in jail for misdemeanor assault on a government official in North Carolina around 2011. The incident involved a gun at a gas station, which led to a high-speed chase.
“The speeds traveled during this incident reached 125 mph in a 55 mph zone. Ultimately, Mr. Killian ended up wrecking his vehicle, then fled on foot and was took into custody within an hour of the incident,” Ryan Cunningham, assistant police chief for the Town of Murphy, told one Bay Area television station.
His Facebook page is filled with photos of him and his family during happier times. In September 2023, he posted a picture from his wedding.
“Happy anniversary my love,” he wrote in Spanish. “It was by the grace of God that I found you, by His grace that we have two beautiful children and I hope by His grace that I will share this life for many more years to come.”