BARTOW, Fla. — The Polk County Sheriff's Office is investigating after it says a man shot two women, killing one of them.
Deputies say Christopher Pequeen, 33, was fighting with his girlfriend Sunday morning. The two had just moved into an apartment in Bartow with another couple, according to investigators.
On the morning of the shooting, Pequeen's girlfriend went into their roommates' room and told them “she was scared that Pequeen was going to kill her and that he had held his hand over her nose and mouth so that she could not breathe,” according to deputies.
Pequeen then walked into the bedroom and pointed the gun at the three others in there, deputies said. Then, he shot his girlfriend multiple times and hit the other woman who lived there in the face with a pistol, according to the sheriff's office.
The women tried to shield Pequeen's girlfriend from him, and he shot her as well, investigators said.
Deputies said Pequeen then pointed the pistol at the male roommate and demanded their cell phones; and he gave them to him.
The roommates ran to a neighbor’s apartment and called 911, according to the sheriff's office.
Pequeen ran from the scene and tried to get rid of the gun and cellphones, the sheriff's office said. He was later arrested by deputies.
The sheriff's office said Pequeen's girlfriend died at the hospital. The other woman who was shot was also taken to the hospital and is stable.
“This is an example of how horrific domestic violence can become. Christopher Pequeen is a coward and a murderer. We will do everything we can to make sure justice is done in this case,” Sheriff Grady Judd said.
Pequeen faces multiple charges including first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder.
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233.
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