According to official records, Spirit daughter and him both had arrest histories.
In a shooting rampage Spirit Daughter at a home where authorities in the small Florida town claim they had previously been called, a man who had served time in prison a decade earlier for the shooting death of his young son killed six of his grandchildren, including an infant, as well as his adult daughter and himself.
Sheriff Robert Schultz of Gilchrist County said at a news conference that the shooter, 51-year-old Don Spirit, called emergency dispatch on Thursday afternoon to say he might hurt himself or others. Spirit committed suicide before a deputy arrived, after which they discovered the seven gunshot victims “all over the property,” according to Schultz.
Spirit and his daughter both had arrest histories, according to official records.
According to jail records, his daughter Sarah Lorraine Spirit, 28, was on probation following a 2013 grand theft arrest.
Don Spirit was detained in 1990 in Tampa on a felony fugitive warrant because he had a criminal history there. Misdemeanor battery, drug charges, and depriving a child of food and shelter are some other arrests.
If a weapon was found or what kind was employed, Schultz would not specify. He said there was no apparent motive for the killings but that deputies had previously visited the house for a number of reasons.
Still, there are a lot of unanswered questions. He said that there would be questions that we would never get an answer to.
A “testing time”
Additionally, Schultz omitted to mention whether any of the two boys and four girls, some of whom spent a lot of time at the rural home, were in fact Sarah Spirit’s children.
The victims’ names were revealed by Schultz at a subsequent news conference. In addition to Sarah Spirit, they included Alanna Stewart, who was born in June, Kaleb Kuhlmann, 11, Kylie Kuhlmann, 9, Johnathon Kuhlmann, 8, Destiny Stewart, 5, Brandon Stewart, 4, and Johnathon Kuhlmann, 8.
Four of the kids went to Bell Elementary School, which has 540 students, according to Rob Rankin, Superintendent of Gilchrist County Schools. In kindergarten, second grade, third grade, and fifth grade they were enrolled. There, a teacher claimed that at three o’clock she put the kids on a bus. They were found dead at Spirit’s home less than two hours later.
Lt. Jeff Manning, a sheriff’s spokesman, said at a press conference that “this has been a trying time for the community.”
He held back his tears as he spoke. Manning questioned how anyone could have seen the obvious warning signs that something like this might occur.
Police had cordoned off a portion of the dirt road leading to the house close to Bell, a town of only 350 people located about 30 miles west of Gainesville, as night fell.
Spirit was the only suspect, according to Schultz, and some residents of the house were still alive. Additionally, Schultz claimed Spirit had a criminal past. Spirit was released from prison for a gun charge in February 2006, according to the Florida Department of Corrections website.
1998 conviction
A 40-year-old man named Don Spirit admitted guilt to having a gun in his possession while a felon, the Orlando Sentinel reported online in 2003. Kyle Spirit Daughter, the father’s eight-year-old son, was fatally shot in a hunting accident in 2001. He was visibly upset about the shooting at his hearing and received a three-year prison sentence.
According to the tale, Spirit noticed rust on the rifle’s muzzle while taking Kyle and an older son for a walk through the woods. The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office claims that Kyle was struck in the head by the bullet from the rifle. A charging affidavit states that Spirit was found guilty of marijuana possession in 1998.
Daniel Barry, a resident of Bell, was attempting to accept the loss in the neighborhood west.
“The children, it’s tragic. Why involve the kids even if there were family issues? he asked as he stood outside a convenience store. “It’s enough that he killed his daughter, but his grandchildren as well? It’s surreal. “
conclusion
According to Florida’s prison records, Spirit already had a long criminal history dating back 22 years. According to information from 2003, the man was charged with having a firearm in his possession while a convicted felon after pleading guilty to fatally shooting his 8-year-old son while they were out hunting.
He received a three-year prison term. In addition, Spirit was found guilty of battery. Depriving a child of food and shelter, and having drug paraphernalia between 1992 and 1995. According to Schultz, police had “been out to that residence on numerous law enforcement occasions” in the past. The victims were identified as Sarah Lorraine Spirit, 28, her children Johnathon Kuhmann, 8, and Kaleb Kuhlmann, 11. As well as her grandchildren Alanna Stewart, 212 months, Brandon Stewart, 4, Destiny Stewart, 5, and Kylie Kuhlmann. Spirit Daughter At a press conference, Schultz declared, “This is something you can’t explain. I’ll keep requesting that everyone pray for the families.
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