Tucson dad who killed his 2 daughters is also dead

Parker, 37, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound shortly after noon Thursday. He shot to death his daughters, Mackenzie Parker, 8, and Haylee Parker, 5, before turning the gun on himself, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release.

In a previous story the Star reported Mackenzie Parker was 7.

The incident occurred at Veranda at Ventana Condominiums at 5751 N. Kolb Road, north of East Sunrise Drive.

Shortly before 7 p.m. Wednesday, deputies responded to the home for a welfare check after the girls’ mother called 911 to say she received a call from her estranged husband.

The woman reported her husband said that was the last time she would hear from her children, said Deputy Courtney Rodriguez, a Pima County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman.

Deputies arrived at the condominium in about four minutes, and attempted to talk to the father from outside the house.

Deputies then heard a gunshot and went into the home where they found the father with a gunshot wound.

They also found Mackenzie dead and Haylee wounded.

Haylee and Parker were transported to a hospital, Rodriguez said. Haylee was pronounced dead at the hospital Wednesday.

The girls were at their father’s home because he had shared custody with their mother, Rodriguez said.

Parker and the victims’ mother have been separated since September, the sheriff’s department said.

Online court records show a divorce case involving the couple.

Parker’s Facebook page states he served in the Arizona Army National Guard and worked as a manager at Raytheon. His page has numerous photos of Parker and his daughters at locations around Tucson. A recent photo showed one of the girl’s Christmas wish list.

A relative of Parker said in an email that she believes Parker was upset that his estranged wife had a new boyfriend.

“He did not want another man with his girls,” Joan Parker, an aunt, said. “I personally think he’s been through so much in the military, almost 15 years. He could have developed PTSD or some kind of mental condition.”

His aunt said Parker was upset about his split with his wife and that he was going to try to get custody of his daughters.