At least 3 dead in shooting inside home in West Jefferson, Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio — At least three people are dead following a shooting Monday afternoon in West Jefferson, a town about 20 miles west of Columbus.

Police received a 911 call about 5:27 p.m. from a passerby about a gunshot victim outside a long, white apartment house.

"We found multiple victims," West Jefferson Police Chief Christopher Floyd said Monday night. Earlier at the scene, he told reporters at the scene that three victims were found dead inside, but would not say how many victims were found outside the residence.

Floyd said the shooting occurred sometime between 1 p.m. and the 911 call just before 5:30 p.m. 

A motive is unknown and there was no information on any suspect. Victims have not been identified.

"We don't know at this point if it was a robbery gone bad or what it was," Floyd said. He did say it was not a drive-by shooting.

"This is a dead-end street," he said. "It curves around to a business (at the end of the street). There no other way in or out, so it's not like there's a car randomly driving down the street."

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Madison County Sheriff's office are assisting West Jefferson police at the scene of Monday's shooting. 

The last homicide in West Jefferson occurred in 2012, Columbus Dispatch archives indicate.  

Reach reporter Marc Kovac on Twitter at @ohiocapitalblog

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