A man killed four children aged between 1 and 11 years with whom he had been entrenched in an apartment in Orlando (Florida, USA) for about 24 hours, and then committed suicide, authorities said today.
“We have entered the apartment and we have found that the four children have been killed by the suspect with apparent shots,” Orlando Police Chief John Mina explained at a press conference.
“We have no idea,” he added, “when the children died,” they were 1, 6, 10 and 11 years old.
It all started on Sunday night, when the suspect’s girlfriend, identified as Gary Wayne Lindsey Jr., 35, with a history of arson and other crimes, called the police for a domestic altercation.
The woman had fled the apartment leaving behind the four children, two of her and the other two of Lindsey.
When the police officers arrived at the apartment complex around midnight to take charge of the situation, the suspect opened fire and seriously wounded one of the agents, Kevin Valencia, beginning an entrenchment that lasted until Monday night.
Mina explained that the police were in “direct and indirect” contact with Lindsey throughout the day to negotiate his delivery.
However, shortly before 9.00 local time on Monday (03.00 GMT), an agent noticed the lifeless body of one of the children inside the apartment, so the authorities decided to start a rescue operation of the rest.
When they entered, Mina explained, they found the children dead and also Lindsey, of an apparent suicide.
