Police: Florida man kills daughter and 6 grand children, then takes own life
Don C. Spirit allegedly shot and killed his daughter, six grandchildren and then killed himself as the first deputy arrived at the scene in Bell, Fla. The grandchildren were aged between 10 months and around 10 years old, police said. (EPA/FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTION)
A Florida man shot and killed his grown daughter and six grandchildren Thursday. He called 911 and when police arrived, he shot himself, police said.
Don Charles Spirit, 51, of Bell, a small town southeast of Tallahassee, called 911 and told a dispatcher he was considering harming himself and others, the Associated Press reported. A deputy arrived at the home Thursday afternoon and exchanged words with Spirit. Then Spirit committed suicide, Gilchrist County Sheriff Robert Schultz said in an evening news conference. Schultz said police found seven other bodies “all over on the property.”
The children who were killed ranged in age from 3 months to 10 years, Schultz said, and some other people were left alive at the home. The victims 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, Schultz said late Thursday night.
Schultz said Spirit had a criminal history, but did not elaborate. However, according to the Florida Department of Corrections, Spirit was released from prison in February 2006 for a gun charge.
The Orlando Sentinel reported that Spirit shot and killed his 8-year-old son, Kyle, during a hunting accident near Kenansville, Fla., on Nov. 14, 2001. Officials had said that Spirit was pointing out some rust on the muzzle of a gun when it fired, shooting the boy in the head. Spirit was charged with illegal possession of a firearm and pleaded guilty in exchange for a minimum sentence. He was sentenced to three years in prison.
In 1998, Spirit was convicted of felony possession of marijuana, the Sentinel reported. It’s illegal for convicted felons to own guns in Florida.
After the 2001 accident, Spirit moved his family to Bell.
Schultz didn’t give details on a murder weapon or motive.
“There are certain things in life you can explain. And there are certain things you cannot explain,” Schultz told the Gainesville Sun. “This is something I cannot explain.”
Lindsey Bever is a national news reporter for The Washington Post. She writes for the Morning Mix news blog. Tweet her: @lindseybever
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