A CONVICTED criminal has killed six of his grandchildren, his adult daughter and himself in a shooting at his Florida home.
Gilchrist County Sheriff Robert Schultz identified the gunman as 51-year-old Don Spirit of Bell, a small town in rural northern Florida.
He would not say if the woman killed was the mother of any of the two boys and four girls.
Mr Schultz said a deputy who arrived after Spirit called emergency services to say he might harm himself and others made contact with the man, who then killed himself. The authorities then discovered the other seven bodies.
He named the victims as Sarah Lorraine Spirit, 28; Kaleb Kuhlmann, 11; Kylie Kuhlmann, nine; Johnathon Kuhlmann, eight; Destiny Stewart, five; Brandon Stewart, four; and Alanna Stewart, who was born in June.
Mr Schultz said Spirit was the only suspect and some people were left alive at the home. He also said Spirit had a criminal history.
According to the Florida Department of Corrections website, Spirit was released from prison in February 2006 for a gun charge.
He pleaded guilty to the charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in the fatal shooting of his eight-year-old son Kyle in a 2001 hunting accident.
Spirit was sentenced to three years in prison and was emotional about the shooting at his hearing, reports at the time said.
Mr Schultz would not say if a weapon was recovered or what type was used. He did not appear to have a motive but said deputies had been to the home in the past for various reasons.
The sheriff said: "There's still a lot of unanswered questions. There's going to be questions we're never going to get answered."
Police had cordoned off the length of a dirt road leading to the home near Bell, a town of just 350 people about 30 miles west of Gainesville.
The sheriff added: "Keep this community in your prayers. Tomorrow's going to be a hard day in Gilchrist County."
Bell resident Daniel Barry said: "It's tragic. Even if there were family problems, why involve the kids?"
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