An 82-year-old Florida man whose dog was declared by a court to be dangerous gunned down a father and his 11-year-old girl before being shot dead in a gunfight with cops, according to a report.
The feud in Port St. Lucie between Ronald Delserro and his neighbor went back to March 4, when his bull mastiff, Toro, bit a woman who lived at the victims’ home, WPTV reported.
The incident led to a court hearing in which the animal was declared dangerous, according to the news outlet.
“They all came home from court and then the suspect armed himself and went to the victim’s house,” St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara said at a press conference.
When police arrived at the scene on SE Morningside Boulevard on Monday, they entered the home and encountered Delserro, who was armed with two pistols, according to the report.
An officer was shot in the arm during the firefight. He was treated at a hospital and later released.
SWAT team officers found Delserro dead, according to police, though it was unclear how he died.
Also found dead were Guy Alexander Hansmann, 55, and his daughter, Harper Hansmann, 11, who had actually called 911 moments before her death, WPTV reported.
“I believe this to be an intentional act of violence against these neighbors,” Assistant Police Chief Richard DelToro said Monday. “It’s tragic. You can’t rationalize irrational behavior.”
A contractor told the news outlet that he saw the gunman’s wife just before the shots rang out.
“She said, ‘I hope he didn’t do something stupid,'” Ray Layfield told WPTV.
The police investigation continues.