Florida father shoots and kills wife, three-year-old daughter, and mother-in-law before turning gun on himself
PEMBROKE PINES, FLORIDA: In a killing-spree, a Florida man shot and killed his wife, his mother-in-law, and his three-year-old daughter before turning the gun on himself.
Pablo Colon Jr., 35, of Pembroke Pines, killed his wife Sandra Colon, 36, his three-year-old daughter, and his mother-in-law Olga Alvarez, 61, on August 26, according to the Miami Herald.
Only one member of the family survived: Colon's other three-year-old daughter, the twin of the other slain young girl. She was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
The gruesome crime came to light after the Pembroke Pines Police Department received a 911 call at about 8:27 pm that evening from Alvarez, who was screaming in Spanish for help. But before she could state the location, the line went dead.
After another call from a family member and some detective work, authorities pinpointed the location to a home at 1657 SW 156th Avenue in the Grove Estates subdivision of Grand Palms, a pristine gated community at the Grand Palms Golf and Country Club in western Broward.
Pembroke Pines Police Capt. Adam Feiner said his officers forced themselves into the apartment and uncovered four bodies, which were later identified as that of Colon, his wife, mother-in-law, and daughter.
They also found his surviving child, who is now orphaned, and transported her to the hospital to have her checked for non-life threatening injuries. She is in the custody of family members until child custody arrangements are arranged.
Neighbors told CBS Miami that their gated community was a quiet place and that they're shocked a crime of that magnitude could unfold in the neighborhood.
"Somebody perpetrated a crime against their own family. I am shocked," said Jorge Cantero, with Paul Chermac similarly adding, "I’ve never heard of anything like that here and I’ve been here for probably close to 15 years."
"This is unbelievable," exclaimed Ray Harnell. "I have been here seven years and I have not heard of one incident of violence or crime. We have a lot of troubled people in our country today and it is pretty obvious that we really need to do something about mental health issues. We really need to work on that."
"It is amazing what happened," said Lou Rossi. "I don’t understand it how people can do that to their entire family. It is beyond comprehension as far as I am concerned. I’m sad for what is left behind and the child left behind."
"The SWAT team was running down the street and then they got all armored up," said Greg Watson, another resident of the area. "This is very sad in a neighborhood as quiet as ours." The police have not yet established a motive and the crime is still under investigation.