A gunman reportedly killed four children before turning the gun on himself during a hostage situation in Orlando, Florida.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, Gary Wayne Lindsey, 35, shot and killed four children ages 1, 6, 10, and 11, before killing himself following an hours-long standoff with police in an Orlando home. The children’s names have not been released.
Videos by PopCulture.com
The incident began Sunday at around 11:45 p.m. after Orlando police responded to a domestic violence report at the Westbrook Apartments, with a woman reporting that Lindsey had battered her. The woman claimed that she had managed to escape the apartment and flee to a nearby restaurant, where she called police.
When authorities arrived to the apartment, a shootout began, with Officer Kevin Valencia, who has been with the police department since 2016, being critically wounded. Lindsey then barricaded himself inside of apartment with the four children.
Authorities claimed that they had been in “direct and indirect” contact with Lindsey throughout the day of the nearly 24-hour long standoff, with the last contact taking place between 8:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. They claimed that Lindsey’s cell phone had spotty service and they offered him one of their phones, during which time they discovered the body of one of the children, leading to the decision to attempt to rescue the remaining three. However, upon entering the home, all three children were found dead from apparent gunshot wounds. They also discovered Lindsey dead from a self-inflected gunshot wound.
“As a mom, my heart is completely broken. It hurts too much,” said Jackie Robinson, who lives in the neighborhood.
Sandi Marti and her wife, Carry, claimed that they saw flashes of light and heard three loud bangs Monday night. They have since started a memorial near the apartment.
Two of the children killed in the hostage situation are believed to be Lindsey’s, while the other two children are said to belong to the woman involved in the domestic violence call.
Officer Valencia was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where he was listed in critical condition following surgery. He is expected to survive.
According to police records, Lindsey had been on felony probation at the time of the hostage incident after having pleaded no contest to charges of arson of a dwelling, willful fleeing or eluding law enforcement, and domestic battery, all of which stem from a 2008 incident involving a woman that Lindsey was in a relationship with.
