Father kills 5-year-old son and then himself in murder-suicide: FL MP

LUTZ, Fla. (CBS12) — A 44-year-old father shot his 5-year-old son before turning the gun on himself in a tragic murder-suicide in Lutz, authorities said Friday.

The incident occurred the day after Thanksgiving, a time when families typically gather to celebrate the holiday, said Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Joseph Maurer.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) said it responded to a call from the child’s mother, who had been separated from the father for about a year. She told investigators that she was unable to reach her son or the father when she arrived to pick up her child around 7:30 a.m

Officers found the father’s vehicle in the driveway, approached the locked home, knocked and saw no immediate signs of crime, Maurer said. However, when the mother entered the house around 9:30 a.m., she came across the bodies of her son and his father.

There were no other children in the home at the time of the incident, the sheriff’s office confirmed.

“This is a terrible, terrible scene,” said Chief Deputy Joseph Maurer. “Not only for this child’s mother and family who will have to spend the holidays knowing they miss this family member, but it is also a horrific scene for the deputies who responded here today.”

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The father had no known criminal record or previous military draft, and it remains unclear whether the firearm was licensed to him, HCSO said.

“We have detectives searching the apartment,” said Maurer. “We couldn’t immediately find a note when we walked through the apartment. There are several computers, phones and tablets there.”

The sheriff’s office has hired a victim specialist to help the family process the tragedy. Officials stressed that this incident had nothing to do with domestic violence, but urged anyone experiencing domestic problems to seek help.

The sheriff’s office emphasized the importance of mental health support for officers responding to such stressful scenes. “Under Sheriff Chronister, mental health is our priority,” Maurer said. “It’s okay to not be okay. It’s not okay not to ask for help.”

Authorities noted an increase in murder-suicide incidents during the holiday season and attributed it to increased stress in problematic relationships. They urged people facing such challenges to seek help.

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