Gary Lindsey, a 35-year-old felon, shot and killed four children in their sleep before beginning a 21-hour standoff with police that also left an officer in critical condition with a head wound.
According to reports, Orlando detectives believe that Lindsey either shot the children shortly before or after officers came to the door of his apartment on the night of Sunday, June 10. A statement released by the Orlando Police Department says that police were responding to a domestic battery call from his Lindsey’s girlfriend.
While the four children lost their lives, Lindsey’s girlfriend, 31-year-old Ciara Lopez, had escaped the apartment, leaving the children inside. Lopez was the mother of all four children, while Lindsey was the father of two.
via NBC News:
Lindsey fired at the responding officers, seriously wounding Officer Kevin Valencia, who is in a coma but has shown signs of responsiveness. Lindsey then holed up in the apartment for almost a full day. Officers found him dead in a closet when they entered the apartment about 9 p.m. Monday.
When authorities entered the apartment, two of the children were found in one bedroom, and the other two were found in another bedroom. The medical examiner on Wednesday reported that the children were killed by bullets from Lindsey’s handgun, not from the exchange of fire with officers, Orlando Police Chief John Mina said.
The mother of the children told the Orlando Sentinel that she’s “heartbroken” and feels “completely alone.” In a statement through a family spokesman, 31-year-old Ciara Lopez said she wants her children, ranging in age from 1 to 11, to be remembered as loving and “full of life.”
Walter Benenati, a spokesman for the family, said money is being raised to help cover funeral expenses. Court records show Lindsey had an extensive criminal history involving arson, battery and theft and was on probation for several charges, including arson.
