A horrific incident unfolded in a Florida mobile home when a man allegedly murdered his long-term girlfriend and her two adult daughters. The incident was reported by an 11-year-old girl who dialed 911 in the early hours of Tuesday from her residence in Lawtey, a town located midway between Jacksonville and Gainesville. The emergency call, which was punctuated by screams and disconnections, was returned by a dispatcher who was told by the young girl to send help immediately.
Upon arrival, deputies from the Bradford County Sheriff’s Office discovered a gruesome scene. They found three women, later identified as Quinqune Robinson, 49, and her daughters Denesha Sims, 27, and Winshay Roddey, 25, dead in a bedroom. Outside the home, they encountered 46-year-old Johnnie Brown, who had multiple lacerations on his upper left arm.
According to the arrest affidavit, Brown told detectives that a heated argument with Robinson had escalated into a physical confrontation. He claimed that Sims and Roddey attacked him with knives, prompting him to grab a firearm and shoot at all three women. Brown admitted that even as the women attempted to flee, he continued firing in a fit of rage.
The 11-year-old girl, who was injured by bullet fragments, later told investigators that Brown had started harming her grandmother and aunts. She quoted Brown as saying they should have stayed out of the altercation. Deputies recovered three knives from the bedroom, one of which was found in Sims’ right hand, her arms crossed defensively over her chest. The investigators also believe that Brown shot through a locked bedroom door from outside the room.
Brown was taken to a hospital for treatment of his injuries before being arrested on three counts of second-degree murder. He is currently being held without bond at the Bradford County Jail.
Bradford County Sheriff Gordon Smith, in an interview with a local Jacksonville TV station, described the incident as a tragic strike of evil on the county. He also praised the courage of the young girl who made the 911 call, acknowledging her resilience in the face of such a traumatic event. However, he expressed concern about the long-term impact of the incident on the child and the remaining family members.