A 47-year-old Lakeland man shot and killed his wife late Monday, wounded his 13-year-old stepdaughter, and later took his own life after fleeing to a relative’s property, authorities said. The confrontation began inside the family’s home as the couple argued over turning off a Monday Night Football game, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators identified the gunman as Jason Kenney and the victim as his wife, Crystal Kenney. The shootings happened Dec. 22 in a west Lakeland neighborhood while three children were present, deputies said. A 12-year-old boy ran to a neighbor’s house to call 911, a 13-year-old girl was shot in the face and shoulder but survived, and a one-year-old girl was found unharmed in a crib. Sheriff Grady Judd said detectives recovered a handwritten note from Crystal urging her husband to quit drinking and using drugs, which relatives said had fueled previous turmoil. The case has gripped the county during a holiday week, with deputies describing Christmas presents still under the tree as they processed the scene.
Deputies said the dispute began late Monday as the San Francisco 49ers played the Indianapolis Colts on national television. Crystal asked her husband to turn off the game, and the argument escalated, according to a summary provided by the sheriff’s office. The 12-year-old was told to get help and ran to a nearby home. Gunfire followed. When first responders entered, they found Crystal dead inside the residence. The 13-year-old, awake and able to talk, told investigators she had pleaded with her stepfather before he shot her. “It is as heartbreaking a scene as you can imagine,” Sheriff Judd said in a briefing. “A young teen survived what doctors are calling a miracle.” The teen was rushed to a trauma center, where doctors later said a bullet passed through her head without causing fatal damage.
Detectives said Jason Kenney left the house after the shots and drove to his late father’s property a short distance away. Deputies tracked him to a shed and began attempts to negotiate. As they worked to bring him out, they heard a single gunshot. They forced entry and found Kenney dead from a self-inflicted wound. No deputies discharged their weapons, officials said. Inside the family home, crime-scene technicians collected a handgun, shell casings and the letter Crystal had written. The child who fled remained with neighbors until deputies reunited him with relatives. The one-year-old was recovered by deputies and later placed with grandparents who have stepped in to care for the children.
The sheriff said there were no prior 911 calls from the address for domestic violence, but relatives told investigators the couple struggled with Kenney’s drinking and what they described as episodic drug use. Deputies are still building a full timeline of the evening, including when the argument started, the precise sequence of shots and the moment the gunman left the residence. The sheriff’s office did not release the caliber of the weapon, the number of rounds fired or how many casings were recovered. Detectives said the surviving teen’s account, along with statements from the 12-year-old and neighbors, will form the core of the narrative as they compare interviews to physical evidence collected at both scenes.
Law enforcement officials said the house showed signs of an ordinary holiday week: a decorated tree, wrapped presents and a toddler’s playpen near the living room. The evidence team photographed the room layout and mapped the entry points for later reconstruction. At the second scene, deputies secured the shed and its surroundings for a separate search. A mobile command unit coordinated interviews while forensics staff logged items in and out. The coroner’s office will determine exact causes of death in both cases and provide toxicology testing for the gunman, which can take several weeks. Hospital officials treating the teen have not released her name, but the sheriff said she is expected to recover based on early medical updates.
Neighbors told deputies they heard raised voices before the shots. One resident said the boy’s pounding on the door at night “was the first sign something was wrong,” adding that patrol cars arrived within minutes. Another neighbor, who asked not to be named, said the family kept to themselves but exchanged waves over the fence. By midmorning Tuesday, crime-scene tape ringed the block and deputies canvassed for doorbell-camera video. A small memorial with candles and flowers appeared near the driveway as word of the shootings spread through the cul-de-sac and onto neighborhood social media sites.
Deputies said the children were released to grandparents after interviews at a child-advocacy center, a routine step in cases involving surviving minors. The sheriff’s office will compile a final investigative packet that includes interview transcripts, photographs, 911 audio and body-camera footage. Officials said they expect to release a redacted summary once evidence processing is complete. The office did not announce internal reviews of the attempted negotiations at the shed, but such after-action evaluations are common when a suspect dies by suicide while surrounded by law enforcement. No criminal charges are expected because the suspect is deceased.
Polk County has seen domestic homicides tied to alcohol-fueled arguments in past years, though detectives stressed this case stands out for the presence of three children and the teen’s survival. Nationally, fatal incidents in family settings tend to spike around holidays when households spend extended time together; local advocates say disputes over child care, money or household rules are the most common flashpoints. In this case, the sheriff said the TV argument was only the visible match for deeper problems in the home. “From the letter we found and from family interviews, there were serious concerns about substance abuse,” he said. Records show no recent protection orders involving the couple, and deputies reiterated that no earlier calls originated from the address.
As investigators worked, friends and relatives began drafting funeral plans for Crystal and arranging longer-term care for the children. A family acquaintance said the grandparents moved quickly to set up bedrooms and gather clothing, formula and school supplies. A neighbor placed a stuffed bear on the porch. “It’s the holidays. You see the tree, the gifts, and you think of the children,” the neighbor said. Another resident said deputies were “gentle and clear” as they cordoned off the street and walked neighbors through when they could retrieve their vehicles. The sheriff’s office said chaplains were available to assist relatives and first responders after a difficult night shift.
By Friday, detectives said the homicide case was all but closed, pending the medical examiner’s final determinations and the completion of lab testing on the firearm. The sheriff’s office plans to release an update with the official cause and manner of death, the gun’s make and model, and a clarified timeline of events. The teen victim remained hospitalized but was described as awake, speaking and expected to survive. The younger children were staying with grandparents. Deputies said they would coordinate with the State Attorney’s Office on routine case closure steps once all reports are in.
Author note: Last updated December 26, 2025.