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The family of the four people shot dead at a house in County Durham on New Year's Day have paid tribute to their loved ones.

Michael Atherton (above), 42, from Greenside Avenue in Horden shot his partner, Susan McGoldrick, 47, her sister Alison Turnbull, 44, and niece Tanya Turnbull, 22.

A full investigation is under way by Durham Police, and the IPCC are looking into the incident as well.

Here is the tribute from the family of Susan McGoldrick and the Turnbulls:

“We as a family would like to take this opportunity to express our devastation at the loss we have suffered following the tragic events of Sunday evening and would like to pay individual tributes to each of our much-loved family members whom we have lost.

Susan was a much-loved sister, who was adored by both family and friends.  She was particularly close to her sisters and loved spending time with them.  She was so caring and all that mattered to her was her family. We are shocked and shattered by what’s happened.  Susan loved her job in a local supermarket where she was held in high regard; she was very easy going and was always laughing and joking. 


Susan McGoldrick, aged 47

"Alison was a fantastic mother, sister and partner who was always there for her family and friends when we needed her.  She was a fantastic mam to her son Bobby and daughter Tanya, always so caring and loving.  Alison worked locally in Peterlee and loved nothing more than spending time with her family and loved ones.  We are destroyed by the loss of Alison and struggling to come to terms with her death."

Tanya Turnbull, age 44

"Tanya was the most amazing daughter, partner and sister you could ever wish for.  She was a popular, funny and a gorgeous girl with her whole life ahead of her, and we idolised her. Tanya and her boyfriend Michael were in the process of preparing for their life together and had plans to buy their first home. It was an exciting time for Tanya and she was always smiling and happy.  This horrific loss is still sinking in and, as we are sure you can appreciate, we are devastated to lose Tanya in such tragic circumstances."
 

Tanya Turnbull, aged 22

We would also like to offer our heartfelt condolences to young Michael and Laura, who we know will be devastated by their loss.

It’s extremely important to us as a family that we are left in peace to grieve our loss and begin to recover from this.  We would ask that the media respect our privacy and that we be left alone to comfort one another and attempt to come to terms with our devastating loss.”


The parents of Michael Atherton, Peter and Christine said:

“We and our whole family want to express our sympathies to the families of Susan, Alison and Tanya. Although we loved Michael we are sorry for his actions and don’t understand why he did what he did. We dearly loved Susan as a daughter for over 20 years and are devastated by the loss.”

Michael's son, Michael Jnr, whose mother was victim Susan McGoldrick, said:

“We are truly devastated. Me and my sister have lost the best mother in the world. We don’t understand why my dad would do anything like this as he was such a good man. At the end of the day we have lost four loved family members and we hope they are all at peace now.”