Antonio Oliver; Polk County Man Shoots, Kills Stepson Before Turning Gun On Himself Following Hostage Situation
Antonio Oliver; Polk County Man Shoots, Kills Stepson Before Turning Gun On Himself Following Hostage Situation
A man and his 19-year-old stepson are dead following a hostage situation early Monday morning in Lake Wales.
According to Lake Wales Police Chief Chris Velasquez, a woman called 911 shortly after 4 a.m. asking for help removing children from the home due to a domestic disturbance.
Velasquez said when police arrived, a child ran out of the home and said the suspect, 40-year-old Antonio Oliver, was inside and they thought they heard a gun being cocked.
The chief stated that when officers arrived Oliver was in the home with the stepson, a 14-year-old girl and a 16-year-old girl. He said that the woman who called 911 came back to the scene and wanted officers to get the children out of the house.
Velasquez stated that officers immediately began trying to make contact with the suspect through a PA system and asked him to cooperate.
However, Oliver told police not to shoot into the home because he was using children as a shield.
Around 7 a.m. police say they heard a gunshot and SWAT team members ran into the home. Upon making entry, law enforcement officers said they found Oliver dead just inside the front door.
The body of the suspect’s 19-year-old stepson was found in a back bedroom. It is unclear when the teen was shot.
According to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, the suspect has mild criminal history and there is some prior domestic violence between the suspect and an adult woman.
“Right now, our main concern is the family, the survivors and their mental health and basically just their well-being,” shared Velasquez. “We want to make sure they’re going to be OK. What they’ve experienced today, nobody should ever experience. This was tragic. The number of people who are affected by this are countless. Not only the victims inside, the deceased, but every single one of these people have family members. Every single one of these first responders that showed up today – police, sheriff – every single one of them, they have families. They all have to deal with this.”
READ: ‘It angers me’: Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd talks security after Nashville school shooting
Velasquez stressed that officers tried to get the suspect to exit the home peacefully.
“He was obviously going through some type of crisis personally in his mind and he chose the wrong way to handle this,” Velasquez added.
According to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, the suspect has mild criminal history and there is some prior domestic violence between the suspect and an adult woman.
“Right now, our main concern is the family, the survivors and their mental health and basically just their well-being,” shared Velasquez. “We want to make sure they’re going to be OK. What they’ve experienced today, nobody should ever experience. This was tragic. The number of people who are affected by this are countless. Not only the victims inside, the deceased, but every single one of these people have family members. Every single one of these first responders that showed up today – police, sheriff – every single one of them, they have families. They all have to deal with this.”
READ: ‘It angers me’: Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd talks security after Nashville school shooting
Velasquez stressed that officers tried to get the suspect to exit the home peacefully.
“He was obviously going through some type of crisis personally in his mind and he chose the wrong way to handle this,” Velasquez added.
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