Authorities in Iowa are investigating the fatal shootings of six people who they believe were killed by a relative who took his own life when confronted by police.

Police were called Monday to a home in Muscatine, about 50 miles (80km) south-east of Cedar Rapids, where they found four people fatally shot, Muscatine police chief Anthony Kies said during a news conference.

Officers later found the suspect, 52-year-old Ryan Willis McFarland, of Muscatine, on the city’s riverfront trail, Kies said.

“While talking to Ryan Willis McFarland, he took his own life,” he said.

Two other men also believed to be relatives of McFarland were later found fatally shot elsewhere in the city, according to Kies. One man was found in his home and the other was discovered dead inside a business, he said.

A preliminary investigation indicated the shootings “stemmed from a domestic-related dispute”, the Muscatine police department said in a statement.

Authorities have yet to release the names of the victims or any details about them.

An ABC television affiliate reported that at least two of the victims were children.

“Today I simply do not have the words,” Kies said. “This act of evil and what it has done to our community.”

The city’s police department is continuing to investigate the shootings, working to process the crime scenes and conduct interviews. Police have asked anyone with information to contact its major crimes unit.

Kies confirmed that McFarland had a criminal record did but not elaborate.

With Associated Press and Reuters