Two dead in Cape Coral murder-suicide during child custody exchange
A child custody exchange ended with two deaths Wednesday morning, making it the second Cape Coral murder in three days, police said.
Around 9:20 a.m., Cape Coral police officers received a call about woman who had been shot and lay in 1700 block of SE 12th Street.
Officers said a male partner had just gone into the home as they exchanged two children. Police didn’t disclose their ages or the names of the involved parties.
More: Cape Coral teen Kayla Rincon-Miller killed in shooting; police search for shooter
“They were just exchanging children and then she went back inside… She forgot something when they were exchanging the kids,” said Officer Mercedes Phillips, spokesperson for Cape Coral police. “She came back out and he shot her.”
The man drove about a block, where he handed off the children to firefighters. It was unclear if firefighters were responding to the 911 call or were on another matter.
Phillips said he told firefighters he wanted to take his own life.
He then shot himself, causing his car to roll into the nearby canal, she said.
“One of the officers tried to jump in the water, but at that point he was already confirmed deceased,” Phillips said.
Responders rushed the woman to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead, Phillips said.
"The children are now in the care of the family that was located nearby," Phillips said. "... They're safe with them now."
Phillips said they won’t release the names until the next of kin are notified.
Phillips said she was unable to immediately confirm how many people were at the home.
Second homicide in Cape Coral this year
On Sunday, 15-year-old Kayla Rincon-Miller was shot to death as she walked with friends after leaving a movie about 9:30 p.m. Suspects blinded them with their headlights, with one suspect shooting her in the chest before fleeing from the 2000 block of Southeast 16th Place.
Police arrested Thomas Roy Stein, 16, of North Fort Myers on Tuesday. He faces a murder charge.
The slayings are the first in the city in 2024.
Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@gannett.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Threads @tomasfrobeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran and Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Murder-suicide Cape Coral: 2 dead during child custody exchange
