ROANOKE (Virginia) - A COLLEGE student played dead to escape a family shooting by his father, who killed the other son and their mother before setting their house on fire and taking his own life, investigators said on Monday.

Authorities said the father, retired tire factory worker William Ronald Carter, shot his wife, Bonnie, 56, and their 29-year-old son, William Ronald Carter Jr.

He later shot Timothy Carter, 22, in the back and then again after the son begged for mercy, but only wounded him, Henry County Sheriff's Sergeant Curtis Spence said. He said the father killed himself before authorities arrived at the burning home early on Sunday.

Timothy Carter remained in fair condition Monday at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Centre in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

Mr Spence said Timothy Carter told investigators his 56-year-old father called him at Radford University, about 145 kilometres away, and said his mother needed to speak to him.

When he arrived home in the rural community of Axton, his father said his brother was sick and was downstairs in the basement of their home.

As Timothy Carter walked downstairs his father shot him in the back, Mr Spence said. He said it appeared that William Carter had already killed his wife and older son before Timothy Carter arrived home. The older son lived in Danville, about 40 kilometres away.

Timothy Carter played dead, then escaped when his father went into another part of the house, possibly to set it on fire, Mr Spence said.

The three bodies were discovered in the basement. It appears that an accelerant had been spread throughout the house, Mr Spence said. Timothy Carter fled to the home of a neighbour, Deborah Akers, who awakened to hear him beating on the door.

An online check of the Carters' court records turned up nothing more serious than traffic violations, and Mr Spence said investigators were looking into the backgrounds of the father as well as his victims. -- AP