BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) — A family fight over the home of a woman who moved into an assisted living facility left two people dead, and another wounded, police said.
A preliminary investigation found that as several members of the family prepared to arrive in Florida for a vacation, a male relative who didn’t have permission to be there was asked to leave, Boca Raton police said in a news release.
A female family member arrived first and was killed at some point thereafter, police said. Two other relatives — a man and a woman — then arrived on Sunday, and texted the woman’s phone when they couldn’t get inside. They got a text back saying the side door was unlocked, and were attacked as they entered the home, police said.
The woman was shot in the head but managed to flee to a neighbor’s house for help, police said. The man with her fled when the gunman appeared to be distracted by the firearm.
SWAT and crisis negotiation teams arrived, and found the bodies of the first man and woman inside. Investigators believe the man fatally shot the woman and fired at the other two relatives before taking his own life, police said.
The woman was being treated for her head wound. The other male relative was not injured, the news release said.
Police haven’t released any identifying details, citing Marsy’s Law, Florida’s constitutional amendment designed to protect crime victims.
Neighbors say the house has often been unoccupied since the homeowner moved into an assisted living facility.
“Her son has stayed there, fixing the house and cleaning it up,” neighbor Daniel Cunningham told the South Florida SunSentinel. “Her family comes and visits once in a while.”
