In a tragic incident in Pembroke Park, Florida, a 34-year-old man is alleged to have shot and killed a woman and three children, injuring another child, before attempting to take his own life, local authorities reported. The heartbreaking events unfolded inside their shared apartment, igniting shock and sorrow within the community.
On Wednesday night, the Broward Sheriff’s Office spokesperson, Claudinne Caro, confirmed the deaths of the woman, named Julie Cruz, 32, and three children, identified as 11-year-old Xion Solomon, and 2-year-olds Nova and Emery McKenzie. Cruz was the mother of all four children, and Stephen McKenzie, the suspect, is the father of the younger children. Cruiser’s 8-year-old daughter, Phiinyx Solomon, along with McKenzie, survived the incident but remain in critical and serious conditions, respectively.
Currently receiving medical care, McKenzie has been taken into custody, and charges are expected to be filed, according to Caro. The sheriff’s office is actively investigating the circumstances and motivation behind this devastating act of violence.
Richard Rainey, a neighbor living on the same floor as the family, recounted to the South Florida SunSentinel that he interacted briefly with McKenzie a short while before the shooting. He noted that McKenzie and the 8-year-old girl were seen heading into a laundry room approximately 45 minutes prior to the incident, but nothing seemed amiss during their interaction. “He didn’t seem upset or anything,” Rainey mentioned, expressing disbelief over the tragic turn of events.
As the investigation proceeds, the community grapples with grief and confusion, instinctively seeking answers to how such a horrific act could have unfolded in their midst.