Sheriff: Fla. father kills wife, 2 sons, himself
LAKELAND, Fla. — A father shot and killed his wife and two of his sons — one 5 months old and the other 7 years old — before killing himself in the front yard of their home on Sunday night, authorities said.
Another son, a 13-year-old, was pursued through the garage by his father, evaded several gunshots, and made it safely to a neighbor’s house, Polk County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Scott Wilder said in a statement.
Investigators believe Troy Ryan Bellar, 34, and his wife, Wendy Bellar, 31, were in a domestic dispute about 9:30 p.m. at their home in Lakeland, located between Tampa and Orlando.
When the wife tried to leave the home with two of the children, deputies said Bellar opened fire with a 7.62 mm rifle and killed his wife, 5-month-old Zack James Bellar and 7-year-old Ryan Patrick Bellar in the front porch area.
Investigators were still trying to determine the sequence of the shooting, but after the shooting began, 13-year-old Nathan Bellar ran from the home and was chased by his father, who fired several shots at him. The boy was being placed with family members.
No neighbors appeared to have been injured by gunfire, according to a canvass by deputies.
Wilder said the husband had been arrested twice in the county: on suspicion of aggravated assault in 1994 and suspicion of driving under the influence in 1999. Wendy Bellar was arrested in March on suspicion of domestic battery.
“This is one of the most tragic, senseless and horrific crimes we have investigated,” Sheriff Grady Judd said in a statement.
“You dont have stuff like that in this neighborhood, neighbor Tammy Womble told The Ledger newspaper in Lakeland.
“It was just gunshots going off. We didnt hear screams or anything, she said.
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