Deputies: Man kills 3 in South Carolina, then himself

A man shot and killed three members of his family and then killed himself after an argument in their South Carolina home, authorities said.

Two children escaped from the home in St Matthews during the shooting around 7 pm on Sunday, Calhoun County Sheriff Thomas Summers said.

A 37-year-old man killed a woman and two teenagers before killing himself, Summers said. The coroner's office has not released the names of the dead.

One of the two children who escaped was shot in the arm and treated at the hospital.

The shooting happened after an argument, Summers said in a statement that didn't include additional details on the dispute.

Summers called the violence senseless and unimaginable in his county of around 15,000 people about 40 miles (64 kilometres) southeast of Columbia.