A tragic incident unfolded in Florida as a man shot and killed his wife and injured his stepdaughter before turning the gun on himself, all reportedly following a dispute over an NFL game, authorities reported.
Jason Kenney, aged 47, ended his life just hours after the fatal shooting of his wife, Crystal Kenney, on December 22, according to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd during a press briefing.
According to Sheriff Judd, the fatal altercation began when Crystal Kenney suggested that her husband switch off the Monday night NFL matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the Indianapolis Colts.
Authorities revealed that Jason Kenney committed suicide after the heated argument led him to fatally shoot his wife and injure her daughter. This information was provided by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
Reports indicate that Jason Kenney had been consuming alcohol, which contributed to the escalation of the argument. In the heat of the moment, Crystal Kenney instructed her 12-year-old son to call 911.
The young boy fled to a neighbor’s house after shots were fired. When deputies arrived on the scene, they discovered Crystal Kenney deceased and a 13-year-old girl suffering from gunshot wounds to the shoulder and face.
She is recovering in a hospital.
“She said, ‘I begged him, don’t shoot me, don’t shoot me, don’t shoot me, and he shot me anyway,’” Judd said.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd and Polk County Schools Superintendent Fred Heid announced Thursday that 24 students had been arrested since the start of the school year for making written threats. (Polk County Schools YouTube)
The boy was unharmed, as was Jason and Crystal’s 1-year-old daughter, who was home at the time of the shooting. She was found by deputies asleep in her crib.
After the shooting, Jason Kenney fled and called his sister, who lives in upstate New York, Judd said. He told her he had “done something” wrong and that it would be the last time they would talk.
He then drove to his father’s home, where deputies found him. As deputies attempted to get him out of a shed, Jason fatally shot himself, Judd said.
During a search of the family’s home, deputies found a note Crystal wrote to her husband urging him to get help.
“You’re drinking, you’re using cocaine again. This is not the way the family should be. You need God,” the note states, Judd said.
Polk County Sheriff’s Office car (Polk County Sherriff Office)
The surviving children are in the custody of grandparents.
“The entire family was destroyed,” Judd said. “Our homicide detectives are distraught. When you go in there, there is a beautiful Christmas tree with lots of Christmas presents under it, just like the nuclear family should be.”
