I just wanted to touch on the “door covered in bullet holes”.
If a shotgun was used it could potentially explain the “covered in holes” statement, as well as being consistent w/ both the neighbors’ claims of # of shots, and the officer’s statement of “multiple(?)/several(?) spent rounds. Without looking back, I don’t remember if the exact verbiage was “rounds”, “shells”, “casings”. However, I don’t believe there’s definitive, 100% accuracy in term used vs. correct term. I say this because of known inconsistencies between what was transmitted over broadcast vs. what actually was determined to most likely have happened at the scene.
Fatal, violent, grotesque, etc. scenes can cause even a well-seasoned police to panic, react on emotion, get clouded judgement or observation, and straight-up make mistakes. A crime scene like this becomes exponentially more stressful knowing you need to clear the residence w/ the possibility of an armed subject still on location. [I originally had some concerns (and questions) regarding a few of the initial transmissions made from the first units on scene. However, for reasons stated above; and factoring the probability that these officers most likely were first car to only a handful of fatals or homicides (if any) - its not my place to judge or critique how they handled initial response.] Being a first responder is about as high-stress as it gets, and they never get easier. Nor should it. MOO.
Back to the “bullet holes”: The most commonly produced buckshot shell is a 12 gauge, 00 buck shell that holds 8 pellets. So dependent upon who made the observation, who passed or received the info, etc., (1) round of 00 buck fired into a door (from approx 10 yards or closer) may reveal 8 “holes”. That could certainly qualify as the appearance of a door being “covered w/ bullet holes”. From my experience, a shotgun is not only a more-commonly used firearm in the commission of a crime like a home invasion, but one of the most, if not THE most commonly owned firearm in the country. JMO