North Florida officials are currently looking into why a once-convicted felon killed multiple members of his family, including his daughter and a four-month-old baby.
According to CBS News, Bell, Fl. resident Don Spirit murdered his daughter and six children before turning the gun on himself. Before he shot the children – who range in age from 4 months to 10-years-old, Spirit called the police on himself.
Gilchrist County Sheriff Robert Schultz at a news conference identified the man as 51-year-old Don Spirit. Family members confirmed to CBS News affiliate WJAX that the daughter killed in the shooting was Sarah Spirit.
Schultz said a deputy who arrived on a report of a shooting in the afternoon made contact with Spirit who then committed suicide. Authorities then found the other seven bodies.
At a later news conference, Schultz released the names of the victims. They were Sarah Lorraine Spirit, 28, Kaleb Kuhlmann, 11, Kylie Kuhlmann, 9, Johnathon Kuhlmann, 8, Destiny Stewart, 5, Brandon Stewart, 4, and Alanna Stewart, who was born in June.
Spirit’s wife found the children and her daughter after she hadn’t heard from them since Saturday. It was believed the family was dead for some time.
“There’s still a lot of unanswered questions. There’s going to be questions that we’re never going to get answered,” he said.
He wouldn’t release more details about Don Spirit or when he first made contact with the deputies. He also wouldn’t divulge where exactly the victims were found, though he said, “They were certainly all over on the property.”
It isn’t yet known if the murder weapon was recovered at the scene.
Spirit was previously arrested for accidentally killing his young son during a hunting trip over 10 years ago.
SOURCE: CBS News | VIDEO CREDIT: News Inc.
