police believe 14-year-old charlie and 7-year-old emma line dalton were killed thursday. charlie was a junior volunteer firefighter for the squad that ended up responding for calls for help from the dalton home. darcy spepser starts us off tonight. >> reporter: at the mount arie fire station firefighters spring into action. here they are doing their jobs with heavy hearts. a junior firefighter, charlie dalton jr. was killed at the hands of his own family a murder/suicide that left the whole family dead. >> charlie was a likable kid. he was enthusiastic about his duties. >> reporter: 38-year-old charles dalton jr. killed his wife jennifer and two kids, 14-year-old charlie and 7-year-old emmaline. each was shot once. they were found in their beds. the bodies found in their home friday evening. police say dalton took his own life, his body found on the floor next to the bed in the master bedroom. >> people in the neighborhood are trying to put the puzzle pieces together, figure out how this could have happened. >> reporter: police say he was a cabinet maker and a night shift

police say that financial hardships may have pushed charlie dalton over the edge when he killed his entirent airy, the grief is still too painful for some sharing memories helps ease the hurt. that's why neighbors came out to remember the entire dalton family. >> we love this family. >> police say charles dalton senior shot his wife jennifer and their two children while they slept inside their home, then turned the gun on himself. grief stretches from the family's neighborhood to the mount airy fire department. >> well all felt a sense of loss. >> reporter: 14-year-old charlie spent time in the fire academy. >> he was one of those kids that was never a problem, he was well raised, well mannered, and just a real good student to have around. >> reporter: firefighters who knew charlie dalton junior say they were glad that only one paramedic had to enter the house to check for survivors. the rest say they're glad they were spared seeing the gruesome crime scene. friends came adding to the growing pile of flowers and notes. >> i miss playing in my room with her and sometimes outside. >> breakin

they lost one of their own, a two-year decorated firefighter charlie dalton junior. >> he was level headed and well mannered kid and he was from a family that were church going family and doing the right thing. >> reporter: but late thursday night or early friday morning, something was terribly wrong. they say that charlie shot and killed his wife jennifer and their kids. a single shot to the kid as they slept and then he turned the 12-guage shotgun on himself. in this quiet community, the neighbor -- neighbors are grieving. >> you never expect that the poor little kid, you know. >> hopefully they never knew what was coming. you can hope it happened quickly and quietly. it gives you the chills to think about it. >> reporter: investigators did not find a suicide note. they're investigating if financial pressures played a role. the dalton home has been on the market for more than a year. both parents worked. but in these tough economic times, they say many are suggling. >> it's take a community to raise a child and yesterday we lost two. it's rehard. >> reporter: charles tall done senior wor

reporter: friendses and neighbors gathering in this quiet subdivision to remember 14-year-old charlie dalton, his 7-year-old sister and their mother and father. >> such a shock because she was such a wonderful little girl and they were a nice, nice family. >> reporter: police responding to a 911 call around 5:30 friday night are call this a murder-suicide. that 38-year-old charles dalton sr. killed his wife and two children as they slept and turned the 12 gauge shotgun on himself. >> it's devastating to everyone. >> i don't know what to say. it's horrible somebody could do that. >> reporter: neighbors are at a loss to say why. this was a church-going family but some believed there were financial issues. >> i see he's got his house up for sale and the economy has been stressful for a lot of people. >> reporter: this could be difficult for young people. charlie and emmaline were popular kids, well liked and now such a sudden and terrible loss. >> this thursday he was laughing and giggling about stuff. it was horrible to find out the next day he was gone. >> prayed two times they will reach hea

firefighter, charlie dalton jr. was killed at the hands of his own father. >> he had been a junior member for about years, a little less than two years. he was enthusistic about his duties here. >> reporter: the man killed his wife, jennifer, and two kids. each was shot once. they were found in their beds. the bodies discovered inside their home, police say dalton took his own life. his body found on the floor next to the bed in the master bedroom. >> people in the neighborhood try to figure out how this could have happened. >> police say dalton was a self-employed cabinet maker, and carpenter, and so far police have found no clear motive for the murder suicide. >> it's just a shock. the only reason my girl got to sleep last night was because she was exhausted from crying. >> reporter: charlie's fellow junior firefighters were told about his death at the firefighter station on friday night. >> we are going to miss charlie. he was going to be a good member of us in time. >> reporter: police say the beagle was found s

. >> reporter: 14-year-old charlie dalton junior spent two years in the junior fire fighting department>> he was well raised well mannered. and just a real good student to have around. >> reporter: friends of seven- year-old emmaline came to the family home. >> i miss playing upstairs in my room with her and some times outside. >> >> reporter: neighbors didn't realize just how hard. >> there was no indication, just like everyone else and they were all struggling. >> reporter: grief counselors will be at the children's schools to help the other kids cope who knew both of these children. >>> thank you very much. also this morning investigators continue to look at what started a house fire a deadly house fire. the flames broke out early sunday morning in the 9,000 block in the white marsh area a woman believed to be in her 50s died in that blaze. >>> in the city mayor sheila dixon will unvail the first of many speed cameras which the mayor insists with all about safety. >> people really need to be mindful and slow down because if not they're going to pay. it is not about generating extra r

as students were offered grief counseling, following the murder of two classmates. 14-year-old charlie dalton junior and his 7-year-old sister, emmaline. >> i understand there is a teddy bear at her desk today. and the counselors will remain there, as long as they're needed. at the high school, principal david keen made an announcement to all of the students over the pa system this morning. they then observed a moment of silence. >> reporter: last friday, their father shot his sleeping children, his wife jennifer, the family dog and then himself. police suspect financial troubles pushed him over the edge. the triple murder-suicide has left mount airy stunned and saddened, as parents struggled to explain the violent act to their children. >> i miss like playing upstairs in my room with her and sometimes outside. >> breaking the news to her that night was devastating to me. the only thing that got her to sleep that night was sheer exhaustion from crying. >> reporter: teachers remember seeing emmaline with a smile on her face and that charlie was such a good-hearted, polite, young man. >> i know

dalton sr. called his wife jennifer and hire two kids, 14-year-old charlie and 7-year-old emmaline. each was shot once. they were found in their beds, the bodies discovered inside their home on friday evening. police say dalton took his own life, his body found on the floor next to the bed in the master bedroom. >> people in the neighborhood just are trying to put the puzzle pieces together. we just haven't fured out how this could have happened. >> reporter: police say dalton was a self-employed cabinet maker and carpenter and was a night shift maintenance worke with montgomery county schools. jennifer dalton worked at a veterinary hospital in damascus. so far, police have found no clear motive for the murder-suicide. >> just a shock. just, you know, the only reason my little girl got to sleep last night was she was exhausted from crying. >> reporter: emmaline was a second grader at twin ridge elementary school. charlie's fellow junior firefighters were told about his death at a meeting at the fire station friday night. >> we're going to miss charlie. he was, i think he was going to

charlie dalton killed himself and his family. neighbors held a vigil over the weekend.ren sometime thursday night or friday morning and he turned his gun on himself. the fire department is mourning the loss of the 14-year-old son. he was a jr. firefighter for two years. >>> thank you, mary. >>> drivers may want to avoid baltimore city streets and school zones. the mayor is going to install a speed camera today. the new speed law takes affect this thursday. >>> a woman was struck by a fallen tree and died in rockville. the 63-year-old was doing yard work and the tree fell over on her. she later died at a nearby hospital. >>> hundreds came out this weekend to participate in the great prostate cancer challenge. the walk and run took place saturday morning at st. joseph's hospital in towson. origin nice -- organizers held free prostate screenings all morning. >>> and the ravens are 3-0, they crushed the browns at m&t bank stadium yesterday. flacco threw a career high touchdown. and the ravens looked ahead to next weekend and they'll go to massachusetts for a game with the n

friends of charlie and emmaline dalton are struggling with the loss. they can't understand why 38 charles dalton killed his wife and the dog and the children before taking his own life. he shot the family while sleeping. a friend made the discovery friday night. >> he was very kind and very loving and very suddenly he was always talkative. >> he is a good person. she didn't deserve this. she is a very nice person. >> there was no suicide note left behind, but police say preliminary information shows their may have been financial problems. grief counselors will be available at charlie and emmaline's school on tuesday. >>> time now is 5:32. he was controversial at times, often with a tongue in cheek approach people this morning are remembering william safire, more for the new york times, he died at a hospice in maryland. he spent 30 years writing op eds in the new york times, he worked as a speech writer in nixon's white house and pen william safire was 79 years old. >>> the ex-wife of convicted dc sniper john allen mohammed is publishing a memoir about

friends of 14-year-old charlie and seven-year-old emmaline dalton, they cannot understand why charles dalton shot his family while they were sleeping. a friend made the discovery friday night. >> was looking forward to being a senior and fight fire for real. we are really going to miss him. >> she is a good person. she didn't deserve this. she is a very nice person. >> there was no suicide note left behind, but police say preliminary information shows there may have been financial problems. grief counselors will be available at charlie and emmaline's schools on tuesday. sherri johnson, abc2 news. >>> half the respondents of a new say taxing the richest americans, at least 50% of people say it's a great idea. a third consider twit arefied will that will fade. half of the people who responded to this poll chose wal-mart as the institution that best symbolizes america today, leaving google, microsoft and the nfl far behind. those are among the findings of a new 60 minutes and vanity fair pole. >>> 6:52. what's going on around us here this morning? swine flu is officially here surfacing a

. >> my friends and neighbors gathered to remember charles dalton jr., known as charlie. >> he was always laughing and giggling about stuff. the next day he was gone. >> his 7-year-old sister emmal ine, and their mother and father, too. the police responded to a 911 alert friday evening, now calling this a murder-suicide. >> it is horrible. >> investigators believe that charles dalton sr., 38, killed his wife, jennifer, and their two children as they slept in their beds. then turned the murder weapon, a 12 gauge shotgun, on himself. >> is devastating to everybody. >> neighbors say there were a nice, churchgoing family. some believe there were financial issues. >> the house is up for sale, and the economy has been tough on a lot of people. about even the young this year say they miss charlie and emmaline. >> in my journal, i am writing a journal to her. >> this is a tight-knit community. many found out what happened during a high-scho football game friday night. for a lot of people, this will be a difficult evening to get through. richard reeve, abc 7 news. >>> president obama is trying to

. >> reporter: grief counselors will be available inside 14-year-old charlie and seven-year-old emmaline dalton's school when they head back to class tomorrow. funeral arrangements have not been set. sherri johnson, abc2 news. >>> >>> a fire that killed a woman in white marsh over the weekend is under investigation on this monday morning. it happened before dawn in the 9000 block of deviation road. neighbors tried to save the woman but could not get past the smoke and fire. >> my neighbor ran in there to try to save her and this guy across the street in this house did. they couldn't save her. >> the victim's name has not been released. >>> baltimore county police say a 74-year-old perry hall man has been murdered. david weeks was found in his home on friday night. police say an autopsy shows that his death is a murder but they will not release any other details because of the investigation. police say that weeks appears to have been targeted. >>> it is 6:02. maryland's new ban on texting while driving goes in effect this week. it takes effect thursday, and prohibits, writing or sending texts but

dalton shot and killed his wife, jennifer. they say he also opened fire on his children, 14-year-old charlie and 7-year-old emmaline. police say that dalton even killed the family dog before taking his own life. it is a tragedy that has left the community in mourning. >> mama told me this morning that she was dead. i, i -- i had a little bit of tes coming down from me because she was one of the best people i knew. >> emmaline was in the second grade at twin ridge elementary school. charles jr. was a freshman at linganore high school. both schools are closed today for yom kippur. tomorrow crisis teams will be on hand to help the students and staff cope. >> the search is on for three men suspected of killing a man and tying up his wife and three children. it happened before 3:00 a.m. yesterday. police say three masked men, two carrying guns, stormed into a home on marley drive in bowie. once inside they ended up killing the homeowner, 38-year-old tyrone richardson. richardson's wife told neighbors the masked men tied her up and her children as well. before leaving, the suspects stole richardson's mercedes. police belie

>> the head man of charlie shift was a man called steve dalton. >> thank you. >> who was the head of the charlie shift ert? >> that's a guy called godfrey godfrey. >> did you live on the compound? >> i did, yes. >> okay. even though people didn't see the parties, were they aware of the parties? was it part of the conversation about charlie? i mean, you heard that there was a problem with charlie shift. >> yeah, everyone apart from charlie shift had heard about these parties and would not go. the other shift, what you'd get, was you'd get people from one shift going to another, if they're off, going to another shift. but the going thing on sullivan was, unless you're in for that and you're part of charlie shift, do not go there. >> so it's pretty common knowledge, then, across the camp. did you hear anything about the reconnaissance mission that we talked about, that snack pack where they dressed up as afghans? >> it was brought up on one of the nightly meetings. again, every day is like groundhog day, so dates mean nothing. i vaguely remember it coming up, and they were talking about