A man and a woman were found dead after a reported burglary at a duplex on the 1600 block of Chestnut Street Southeast early Tuesday morning, according to authorities.

Police spokeswoman Irene Cardenas-Martinez said a homicide investigation is underway.

According to Morgan 911, a call was placed from inside the duplex at 1:57 a.m. reporting a burglary. Neighbors said they heard windows smashed and then a series of gunshots.

When officers arrived, they found one decedent in the yard and another inside the residence, Cardenas-Martinez said.

Morgan County Coroner Jeff Chunn confirmed the victims were an adult male and adult female. He said his office was still working to contact relatives of the victims, so the identity of the victims has not been released.

He said he could not confirm the cause of death. He said the two bodies are being sent to the state forensics office in Huntsville for autopsies.

Witnesses living in the Chestnut Street Apartments across the street from the duplex said they heard glass breaking and then 10 to 12 gunshots before seeing a white car drive away about 2 a.m. They could not identify the driver and did not know if any passengers were in the car.

Karla Vazquez said her mother, Olga Gonzalez, received a text message from a friend about 9:30 a.m. saying a shooting had occurred near where their cousin lives. Gonzalez tried calling her cousin but got no answer, she said.

Vazquez and Gonzalez arrived at the scene about 11 a.m., and they said police confirmed Gonzalez’s cousin was one of the victims.

“We saw her two days ago, and we got up this morning like everything was normal,” Vazquez said.

Gonzalez said her cousin, who was about 38 years old, had been living in the house about five years.

“She was never threatened here,” Gonzalez said.

The female victim had two preteen daughters and a young son living with her, according to Gonzalez and neighbors.

Vazquez said police told her the children had been placed with the Alabama Department of Human Resources.

“We haven’t had any trouble here,” said Ammon McKinney, the Chestnut Street Apartments manager. “Sunday night about 9, I was over here collecting rent, and I heard what could have been six shots or firecrackers a little north of here.

“We had a car windshield smashed in a couple of months ago, but that is all I know about.”

Neighbors said they hear gunshots from surrounding neighborhoods about every other week, always at night.

McKinney said he talked with the female victim on occasion, but the duplex where the shootings occurred was not part of the apartment complex.

He said his family has owned the apartment complex since 2015.

“Before we bought it there was a homicide in one of the units, but I don’t know any details,” he said.

— [email protected] or 256-340-2437. Twitter @DD_EDaniel [email protected] or 256-340-2442. Twitter @DD_Wetzel.

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