A mother and her six children were fatally shot by their grandfather who then killed himself in Bell, Florida. A spokesperson from Gilchrist County confirmed the demise of the family members at a press conference held on Thursday night.

Prior to the incident, the 51-year-old grandfather reportedly alerted officials by calling 911 and admitting that he was contemplating inflicting harm to others and to himself. By the time the responding officers arrived at the house at roughly 4:00 in the afternoon on Thursday, the six grandchildren, their mother, and Spirit were all found dead. Gilchrist County Sheriff Robert Schultz disclosed that the children were identified to be aged 3 months to 10 years old.

Like Us on Facebook

The spokesperson for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Samantha Andrews, disclosed that the agency had initiated an investigation on the shootings. She explained that preliminary findings show that the incident may be a murder-suicide.

"At this point, FDLE is investigating at the request of the Gilchrist County sheriff," Andrews shared. "It appears to be a murder-suicide. There is no danger to the community. It was at a private residence there at Bell,'' she added.

Police records show that Spirit had a criminal history. In addition, law enforcement officers have been alerted to incidents in the family's home in the past. Apart from the victims of the fatal shooting, Schultz said that there are other family members residing in the house.

"We're all family here," the sheriff said. "There are certain things in life you can explain; there are certain things you can't. This is one of those things that I can't explain," he added.

Previous reports indicate that Spirit has reportedly used firearms to inflict harm to his family in the past. In 2001, the grandfather reportedly shot and killed accidentally as eight-year-old son, Kyle, at Three Lakes Wildfire Management Area where the family went on a hunting trip.

The investigation revealed that Spirit noticed rust on the gun's muzzle. He then attempted to clean it, but hit Kyle in the head instead. He was given three years of imprisonment as punishment for illegal possession of a firearm. Court documents show that Spirit pleaded guilty in order to be granted the request of getting a minimum sentence. Published reports indicated that the family decided to move to Bell following incident in Tampa.

TagsMurder, Grandfather, Gilchrist County, Bell, Florida