Explosives haul of 'gun enthusiast' accused of killing eight in the US

Security guard Christopher Speight, 39, gave himself up on Wednesday after leading police on an 18-hour manhunt following the killings at a house in rural Appomattox, 100 miles south west of Richmond, where deputies found a fatally-wounded man and seven bodies.

Authorities said today the victims were four adults, three teenagers and a boy aged just four.

They were identified as 16-year-old Ronald Scruggs, 15-year-old Emily Quarles, 43-year-old Karen and Jonathan Quarles, 38-year-old Dwayne and Lauralee Sipe, 15-year-old Morgan Dobyns and Joshua Sipe, four.

Police said Speight knew all the victims and had lived at the home where the massacre occurred, but they would not reveal the victims' relationships or discuss a motive.

By yesterday morning, bomb squads had detonated seven explosives and the blasting was expected to continue throughout the day.

Speight was unarmed when he surrendered at the house. He was wearing a bulletproof vest over a black fleece jacket, camouflage trousers and mud-caked boots.

Neither the sheriff nor the state police would disclose what he said when he gave himself up.

Neighbour Monte Mays said that Speight was a gun enthusiast who always enjoyed target shooting at a range on his property. But the shooting recently became a daily occurrence, with Speight firing what Mr Mays said were high-powered rifles.

Another source, Clarence Reynolds, said Speight was not married and had no children.

When officers converged on the area, the gunman fired at a state police helicopter, rupturing its fuel tank and forcing it to land.