In the early morning hours of Tuesday, November 28, 2023, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 55-year-old David Lee Housden took the lives of his two children before turning the gun on himself. 

The two victims are Kaylee Nicole Housden, 16, a color guard at Atkins High School, and her brother, Alexander David Housden, 20, a junior at Winston-Salem State University majoring in Exercise Science with a minor in Biology. Both siblings were described as promising students, deeply involved in their academic and extracurricular activities.

The incident has been classified as the 43rd and 44th homicide in Winston-Salem for the year 2023 and represents the second murder-suicide case in the city this year. 

The Winston-Salem Police Department, led by Police Chief William Penn, responded to the scene following a 911 call made by the victims’ mother Jennifer Housden, who was in the home on Water Lily Lane at the time. Upon arrival, officers discovered the bodies of the three family members, each dead from gunshot wounds. The police have confirmed that the father was responsible for the shootings.

Family members of David Housden, hailing from his hometown of Luray, Virginia, expressed their disbelief and anguish over the incident. They lamented the lack of intervention and support for Housden, wondering if this tragic outcome could have been prevented had he sought help.