7 Found Shot Dead In Atlanta

Seven people were found shot to death Monday in an Atlanta home, with the only survivor an 11-year-old boy who hid a closet for hours after he was wounded.

Five adults and two children were found shot to death. The motive for the shootings was unclear, but police were investigating whether one person killed the others and himself.

"The possibility does exist that one of the persons inside, who is also deceased, is responsible for all the shootings and that injury to himself was self-inflicted," Deputy Police Chief C.B. Jackson said.

Officers were called to the scene in the afternoon after the boy, who was shot in the elbow, sought help from neighbors.

Police stayed outside the house for more than an hour because a dog was barking inside, raising safety concerns. Inside, officers found bodies throughout the house.

"There is quite a bit of blood," Jackson said.

Officers found at least one weapon in the house. The boy told police the shooting started around 6 a.m.

The boy, whose name has not been released, was in stable condition and alert, hospital officials said.

"He's interacted fairly well with the physicians and nursing staff of the emergency department answering questions appropriately, given the things that he's gone through," Dr. Leon Haley said.