A domestic violence situation Wednesday morning in Dorr Township escalated into a shooting and then an apparent suicide.

Allegan County Sheriff Frank Baker said deputies were dispatched to the residence on 142nd Avenue near 12th Street around 4 a.m. after a caller reported a domestic violence situation involving three family members.

Killed by an apparent self-inflicted gunshot was Johnny Hines of Dorr. A GoFundMe page has been established by his niece, Angelina LaTondress, and about $1,700 of the needed $5,000 for his funeral was raised as of Wednesday evening.

Initial investigation and interviews indicate there was a domestic violence argument between brothers (ages in their 20s) and a step-father (mid-40s) before Hines, one of the brothers, entered a separate upstairs residence and obtained a rifle. He returned to the downstairs residence and discharged the rifle, causing non-lfe threatening injuries to the stepfather. He then turned the weapon on himself.

The suspect is believed to have died as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound according to the witnesses and the initial scene investigation.

Baker said deputies and investigators have been busy interviewing witnesses and processing the scene for evidence.

“This is still an active investigation and all the details are not yet available,” he said. “Details could change as all the evidence is collected and the medical examiner’s office completes their portion of the investigation.”