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CLINTON LINDSAY » BREAKING NEWS, GUEST RUNDOWNS » SHANICE SMITH, 15, DAUGHTER OF SINGER ANTHONY CRUZ, KILLED ALONG WITH HER MOTHER, SUSPECT SURRENDERS!

SHANICE SMITH, 15, DAUGHTER OF SINGER ANTHONY CRUZ, KILLED ALONG WITH HER MOTHER, SUSPECT SURRENDERS!

Shanice Smith

Shanice Smith

A man barricaded himself in a Sunrise home for nearly five hours, Monday afternoon, after allegedly shooting and killing a mother and daughter inside, officials said.

Police confirmed, Monday afternoon, that two people were found dead inside the house located inside Del Rio Village, near University Drive. The suspect, identified as 32-year-old Kevin Nelson, surrendered to SWAT with his arms raised in the air after negotiating for nearly five hours with police.

According to police, someone called 911 after hearing shots fired, at around 11 a.m. Officials have not released who the caller was.

Upon arrival, police made contact with the suspect inside the home.

Kevin Nelson

Kevin Nelson

“Once the officers made contact, they called the residence. He picked up, stated, ‘I’m in here,’ hung up the phone, and since then we have been negotiating,” said Sunrise Police Officer Michelle Eddy.

Neighbor Michael Plesak shot a Facebook Live video of the SWAT response. “A couple seconds later, they came pounding on my door, and so I ran downstairs,” Plesak said. “I cut the feed and ran downstairs.”

Sean Grasmick, who also lives in the area, said he thought officials confused the suspect with him. “I just walked outside my house, and I was on the phone, and they thought that was me because I understand the gentleman — well, I wouldn’t call him a gentleman at this point — was on the phone with the cops, and when I walked out my door, they probably thought that I was the person, and they told me to lay right down, and they put me in handcuffs. They figured out that it wasn’t me.”

Nelson walked out with his hands up at 3:30 p.m.

The two people who are dead inside are a woman and a juvenile. “During the search of the residence, two deceased were found,” Eddy said. “I’ve got a 40-year-old female and a 15-year-old female.”

According to police, the 40-year-old woman and her daughter lived with Nelson in the Sunrise townhouse. They have not released whether she was in a relationship with Nelson. The 15-year-old girl is the 40-year-old’s daughter.

They both died from gunshot wounds.

AnthonyCruzShaniceSmith

Family members on the teen’s father’s side of the family identified the younger victim as 15-year-old Shanice Smith.

Her grandfather, Courtney Smith, said he suspected there might have been trouble in the home.

“She was an ‘A’ student, you know. She had a bright future ahead of her,” he said. “I didn’t know, but I kind of suspected something. But I saw her at Christmas. I brought her a Christmas gift and I wanted to talk to her, you know, because I do not know anything about this guy.”

Nelson is currently being questioned by detectives. He has not been charged.

Nelson was charged with domestic violence in October, police said, after he splashed bleach around his home and punched his wife. It is not clear whether his wife and the victim in today’s shooting are the same woman..

Anthony Cruz

Anthony Cruz

Negotiators used Bernard Lee’s living room for hours during the standoff.

“It just seemed like what was happening is they wanted to make him calm as possible, so they kept telling the gentleman. ‘Would you please surrender? Come out with your hands up,’” Lee said.

Cindy Vogel, a neighbor, was disgusted by the murder.

“I think it’s horrible. I think if someone is so miserable, they should take it out on themselves, not somebody else, especially a kid,” Vogel said. “We’re just sad that it happened.”

Another neighbor, Jay Noska, said, “It’s brutal. It’s heartless. It’s disgusting.”

Police continue to investigate.

 

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