LAKE WALES, Fla. –This week, law enforcement officers shot and killed a 38-year-old suspect who they believe was responsible for the deaths of a mother, 40, her son, 21, her daughters, ages 17 and 11, and the son, 21.
According to a press statement issued by the Lake Wales Police Department, police were called to the Sunrise Apartments located on Dawnlight Drive on May 2 at around 8:51 p.m. after members of the victim’s family discovered the mother and her three children dead at the scene from what appeared to be gunshot wounds.
Al Stenson was recognized as the culprit by the police, and it is believed that he opened fire on all four victims before departing the area at about 5:00 a.m.
According to the Lake Wales Police Department, it is very probable that Stenson resided in the same apartment as the victims.
Chief Cecil Smith of the Sanford Police Department said during a news conference that the 40-year-old mother was apparently involved in a romantic connection with Stenson, but that a reason for the incident has not been disclosed.
According to a recent update provided by the Lake Wales Police Department, the department has acquired a warrant for Stenson’s arrest on four charges of first-degree murder.
An officer reportedly saw Stenson entering a room at the Slumberland Motel in Sanford on May 3 at around 2:15 a.m., prompting the Sanford Police Department to dispatch the Seminole County Sheriff’s SWAT and Crisis Negotiation Team to the site.
According to the report, while in the hotel, Stenson “made statements that he would kill himself or force law enforcement to kill him.”
After a confrontation with the Crisis Negotiation Team and SWAT that lasted for many hours, a gunshot occurred at around 9:30 in the morning that included an officer, and Stenson was declared dead at the scene.
The inquiry is still going on at this time.
