INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — Three men broke into a house in a Kansas City suburb early Friday and fatally shot a woman, her son and her boyfriend, police said. A fourth victim was critically injured.

No motive has been established for the shooting at the small home in Independence, but police Capt. John Cato said it was not a random act.

“This was an armed attempted residential robbery,” Cato said. “They probably knew or at least were associated with one another.”

Cato identified the dead as 48-year-old Maria Hernandez; her boyfriend, Thomas Madrigal; and Hernandez’s 20-yearold son, Antonio. The fourth person was not identified.

The shootings were reported about 4:30 a.m., and a search for suspects continued Friday afternoon. At least two of the suspects could be armed, Cato said.

Front Section, Pages 2 on 11/17/2012