BELL, Fla. — A man killed six of his grandchildren, his adult daughter and himself in a shooting Thursday at a home in a small town in north Florida, a sheriff said.
At a news conference, Gilchrist County Sheriff Robert Schultz identified the man as Don Spirit, 51. He said the children ranged in age from 3 months to 10 years old. He would not say whether the woman killed was the mother of any of the children.
Schultz said a deputy who arrived on a report of a shooting Thursday afternoon made contact with Spirit, who then committed suicide.
He said Spirit was the only suspect and that some people were left alive at the home. Schultz also said Spirit had a criminal history. He would not identify those killed because relatives hadn’t all been notified.
A photo on The Gainesville Sun’s website shows several police vehicles on a rural road. Bell is a town of just 350 people about 30 miles west of Gainesville.
