Florida girl, 13, is among three people shot dead in neighborhood argument over a dangerous dog

Florida girl, 13, is among three people shot dead in neighborhood argument over a dangerous dog

  • Shooting took place in Port St Lucie on Sunday afternoon after court hearing where a judge declared the gunman’s dog dangerous 
  • Police say dog owner grabbed a gun, went over to his neighbors’ house and opened fire, killing a man and mortally injuring 13-year-old girl 
  • Police responded and exchange gunfire with the suspect; officer sustained gunshot wound to the arm 
  • After two-hour standoff, SWAT team found the suspect dead in upstairs bedroom inside victims’ house  

Three people, among them a 13-year-old girl from Florida, were shot dead on Sunday after an apparent neighbors’ dispute over a dangerous dog that led offices to exchange gunfire with an armed suspect.

The victims include a man and the teenage girl, according to Port St. Lucie police and the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office. The shooting suspect also was dead, but officials didn’t know whether he was killed by police in the gunfire or took his own life.

Authorities rushed to a home in the 2500 block of of SE Morningside Boulevard in Port St. Lucie shortly at around 12.30pm when a girl called 911 and said someone was shooting at her parents. 

A Florida man and a 13-year-old girl were shot dead on Sunday after a dispute with a neighbor over his dangerous dog

Police rushed to the scene in the 2500 block of of SE Morningside Boulevard in Port St. Lucie after the girl called 911 and said someone was shooting at her parents

Police rushed to the scene in the 2500 block of of SE Morningside Boulevard in Port St. Lucie after the girl called 911 and said someone was shooting at her parents

‘If you heard this 911 call it would make the hairs on your neck stand up. A little girl calls 911 and says there’s someone shooting in our house, I think our parents are dead. I think our family is dead,’ said St Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara. 

He said officers found the adult male victim already dead in the garage, and added the 13-year-old girl was critically wounded and later died at a hospital.

The shooting appeared to stem from a dispute over a dog, Port St. Lucie Police Department Assistant Chief Richard Del Toro said.

‘The dog was declared dangerous today in court, and he owned the dog and he went over there to confront his neighbors and this is what happened,’ Del Toro said, according to Treasure Coast Newspapers.

At least two other victims managed to escape the house and were transported to the hospital. Their conditions are unknown. 

Authorities said a Port St. Lucie police officer also suffered a gunshot wound to his arm in the shooting. He is expected to recover.  

Port St. Lucie Police Department Assistant Chief Richard Del Toro said the gunman's dog was declared dangerous by a judge in court on Sunday morning

Port St. Lucie Police Department Assistant Chief Richard Del Toro said the gunman’s dog was declared dangerous by a judge in court on Sunday morning 

‘Our officers encountered the suspect inside the victim’s home,’ Del Toro said. ‘Our officers and a deputy, actually, who was working at the school across the street responded to the scene immediately and exchanged gunfire with the suspect.’

According to police, the gunman barricaded himself inside the victims’ house for two hours before a SWAT team entered the residence and found him dead in a second-floor bedroom, reported CBS12.

Officials didn’t immediately identify the victims, the alleged shooter or the officers.

‘It’s shocking and tragic. It’s not characteristic for this neighborhood or the city, but we are going to do everything we can to find all the reasons why,’ Del Toro said. 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk