Father of four kills himself in front of cops — but what cops found was more troubling
A man shot and killed himself Tuesday morning in front of police officers who had shown up at his Pembroke Pines home to check on the welfare of his children, the police department said.
The four children under 10 were found inside alive.
But officers made a troubling discovery.
The man’s wife — and the mother of the children — was found dead in a back bedroom, police said. She had likely been dead for several days.
“Those children are likely alive because of an anonymous tip to check on their welfare,” said Capt. Al Xiques.
According to police, officers showed up at a home in the area of Northwest 76th Avenue and Sixth Street after a tip came in reporting that the children “had not been in attendance at school for a week.”
When officers arrived just after 9 a.m. Tuesday, the unidentified man was outside the home.
“The suspect appeared to be impaired and was asked by officers if he was drunk or on drugs, to which he replied yes,” the department said in a news release. “He then alleged that he was going through hard times due to his wife having left him.”
The officers, concerned because the man kept putting his hands in his pockets, initiated a search. But before they could do so, according to the department, “the suspect pulled out a firearm and shot himself in the head.”
Rescue crews were called but he could not be saved, police said.
The children, who had no signs of physical injuries, were removed from the home and were in the care of relatives, police said.
Xiques said detectives are investigating the incident but that “all evidence thus far has led us to believe that the suspect, being the father of the children, took the life of the victim, being the mother of the children.”
The investigation will continue, he said.
This story was originally published January 29, 2019 at 7:04 PM.
