MIAMI LAKES, Fla. – A South Florida man killed his 12-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son before fatally shooting himself during what police called a “domestic dispute."
The shooting happened around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday in Miami Lakes, police said.
The Miami-Dade County medical examiner's office identified the children as Baleria and Matias Tovar. Their father was identified as Humberto Tovar, 41.
The mother of the children went to the home and found the bodies of the children, news outlets reported. Police said the parents were divorced.
A neighbor told Miami television stations she heard the mother's screams on Tuesday night.
“I just opened the door and I ran,” said Pena. “My son ran behind me. He didn’t even have shoes. I ran across the grass and when I got there I saw the lady like on top of the little boy. I couldn’t see the dad or the daughter because of the darkness at first.”
She tried to perform CPR on the 9-year-old, but it was too late.
Miami-Dade police Chief Alfredo “Freddy" Ramirez tweeted about the “senseless" killings and offered condolances to the family.