‘There was a massacre.’ Neighbor recounts aftermath of mother, three children’s murders
Richard Rainey heard a rumor of a shooting in an apartment near his on Wednesday night. This was just after he heard what sounded liked a series of fireworks and saw a burgundy red door slightly ajar. He entered and witnessed a sight he’s not likely to forget: Bodies lying in pools of blood on the floor, including a child’s.
“I’m glad I didn’t see any more,” Rainey said. “There was a massacre in there.”
Sometime before 7:40 p.m., Stephen McKenzie, 34, shot and killed 32-year-old Julie Cruz and their two 2-year-old sons, Nova and Emery McKenzie, at an apartment complex in Pembroke Park, the Broward Sheriff’s Office said Thursday. Cruz’s two other children, 11-year-old Xion Solomon and 8-year-old Phiinyx Solomon, were also shot.
Xion was killed, but Phiinyx, the only girl, survived and remains in serious condition in a local hospital.. McKenzie then shot himself after gunning down the family — he survived the suicide attempt and has been hospitalized, BSO said.
Blood could still be seen at the doorstep of apartment 408 on Thursday — a corner unit in the Pembroke Park apartment complex.
Down the hall, in front of the laundry room, lives Rainey, a resident of 15 years in apartment 404. About 45 minutes before the murders, he ran into McKenzie as he was doing his laundry. They laughed and had quick small talk.
“He didn’t seem off or anything,” Rainey said.
By Thursday afternoon, McKenzie’s basket of laundry was still sitting in front of the washing machine in the laundry room, untouched.
Rainey said he typically saw Cruz and McKenzie together and never heard them argue. He listened to the children chattering and laughing in the mornings. He remembered how the toddler boys — about nine months apart — were often dressed in matching clothing.
At first, he thought he heard fireworks going off but realized it sounded more like gunfire. He figured it was from a nearby liquor store.
He said the gunshots lasted for about a minute. Soon after, a neighbor told him there was a shooting in an apartment down the hall from his. When they walked over to investigate, they discovered the door slightly ajar. The neighbor stepped in first.
“He came out white as a ghost,” he said. “I went in and I seen the girl lying there — pool of blood.”
When he first entered, he turned to the right and saw McKenzie, the alleged shooter, lying close to Phiinyx. He scurried from the apartment, unsure if the shooter was still there.
Police arrived a couple of minutes later.
Series of domestic murders
In March alone, at least five domestic murders have occurred throughout Broward County, including the quadruple attempted murder suicide Wednesday in Pembroke Park.
On Sunday, Hermes Rodriguez, 52, fatally stabbed Charles Scott, 41, in an argument over a lighter in Pompano Beach, authorities said.
Four days earlier, James Sheridan, 80, shot and killed Colleen and Connor Sheridan, 71 and 31, respectively, inside a Pompano Beach home. Broward Sheriff’s deputies were asked to conduct a welfare check but discovered the three bodies.
READ MORE: Welfare check led to murder-suicide discovery at Pompano Beach home, BSO deputies say
On March 3, DeShawn Allen, 29, fired eight bullets at 52-year-old Chaddric Loray, killing him, because he thought the man was talking to his girlfriend, deputies said.
On that same day, Dareika Chery, 36, was stabbed to death by Chris Little, 42, in a Dania Beach apartment complex after the pair were overheard in an argument by neighbors, deputies said.
READ MORE: Two dead after an argument sparks stabbing at Broward apartment complex, deputies say
This story was originally published March 27, 2025 at 4:17 PM.
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