Police responding to robbery find 5 dead in Alabama home

Ravenn Carlton, center, wife of one of the five people found dead, is comforted by two people near the scene where five bodies were found inside a house in Birmingham, Ala., on Sunday.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Police officers called early Sunday morning to investigate a possible robbery at a home in Birmingham found five people dead inside, authorities said.

Birmingham Police Sgt. Johnny Williams said the officers arrived at the house around 3:30 a.m. Sunday after getting a call that a robbery was in progress and soon discovered the five victims.

The victims were not immediately identified, and the cause of death was not yet released. No arrests or charges were filed on Sunday morning, but Williams said police launched a homicide investigation.

Brenda Houston, who lives across the street from the west Birmingham house where the bodies were found, said the house had been rented for about a year and a half by a woman in her late 40s and her son and brothers.

"They would speak to us, and that's all we knew," she said. "We didn't know their names but they were always friendly."

Houston, 64, said her street was a quiet one filled with older residents who were friendly with each other. She said there was a constant stream of visitors coming in and out of the home, but that the residents never seemed to cause any disturbances.

"Most people are in a state of shock. They never had any trouble over there," Houston said. "I never seen the police over there. This was really strange that this happened. It wasn't like they were real rowdy."