Shooter in Tamarac murder-suicide identified, 4 kids in home found safe, deputies say
Investigators on Friday said they identified the man who killed a woman inside his Tamarac home, and then died by suicide.
The Broward County Sheriff’s Office in a Friday news release said Russell Gardner, 38, shot the woman multiple times and then shot himself. Their bodies were found in the kitchen. Four children, ranging from 5 months to 11 years, were found inside the home. The kids were not hurt, the sheriff office said.
Deputies said they responded to the home, which is in the 5800 block of Hampton Hills Boulevard, after receiving a 911 hang-up call at 2:46 a.m Thursday and were able to make contact with a child who was on the second floor. The sheriff’s office confirmed that all four children live in the home. Broward property records list Gardner as one of the home’s owners.
The sheriff office is witholding the woman’s identity, saying that her family invoked Marsy’s law. It also declined to answer questions on the relationship between Gardner, the woman and the children, citing Marsy’s law.
Investigators consider this to be “an apparent murder-suicide.“ The Broward Medical Examiner will determine the official cause and manner of death.
If you are in distress or experiencing suicidal thoughts, call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. While some areas may be currently able to connect to the Lifeline by dialing 988, this dialing code will be available to everyone across the United States starting on July 16.
This story was originally published July 14, 2022 at 1:39 PM.
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