Arizona officials say a Phoenix family feud and armed standoff late last night began and ended with a dispute over money.
By the time police were able to intervene, five adults in the barricaded house were found shot to death, including the shooting suspect.
Four other members of the quarreling clan -- two women and two young children -- managed to hide from the gunfire and then escaped.
According to reports, the family owns a limousine company and their latest financial discussions concerning the health of that business eventually turned deadly.
It’s not clear who phoned 911 about the heated argument which had ensued, but even at that conjecture it may have been too late to save the feuding Phoenix family from themselves or their tragic fate.
"Our dispatcher could hear shots fired in the background while that call was coming in," police spokesman Sergeant Trent Crump informed NBC News.
Responders arrived at the scene in droves and attempted to make contact with the home’s occupants, using megaphones to negotiate a peaceful surrender, but to no avail.
Several hours and tactical teams later, when they finally swarmed the residence, there was no one left alive in it to rescue.
A local ABC affiliate station is reporting that the five victims were three brothers, their mother, and a wife of one of the deceased males. All are said to be of Moroccan descent.