A father apparently shot to death five of his children, ages 7 to 16, at their mobile home in Washington state and then killed himself near a casino kilometers away, police said.

Ed Troyer, a spokesman for the sheriff, called it a domestic violence situation and a murder-suicide. "We believe they all died of gunshot wounds," Troyer said on saturday.

Police found the father's body early Saturday in his still-running car near the Muckleshoot Casino in Auburn, about 48km south of Seattle. He had apparently killed himself with a rifle, although no note was left in the car, Auburn Police Sergeant Scott Near said.