RIVERVIEW, Fla. — Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said it appears a man shot and killed his wife and stepdaughter before turning the gun on himself Wednesday morning at a Riverview home.
Deputies were first alerted when 64-year-old Thomas Schultz called 911 around 6:17 a.m. to say he was in an "impossible situation with no way out," the sheriff explained during an afternoon news conference.
Schultz went on to tell the dispatcher that he was planning to shoot himself, according to Chronister.
When deputies arrived at the home on Graham Yarden Drive, they say they found Schultz dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. After entering the house, deputies say they found Shultz's wife, who was in her 80s, dead. Chronister said the sheriff's office believes she was shot in her sleep.
Deputies then found Schultz's stepdaughter, who was in her 50s, shot and killed in her hospital bed where she was laying with a feeding tube, the sheriff explained.
The family reportedly told the sheriff's office that both the women were suffering from terminal illnesses.
“With May being Mental Health Awareness Month, we’re reminding everyone that there is no such thing as an impossible situation with no way out. There is always hope, there is always help," Chronister said.
While the case is still under investigation, the sheriff said there were no previous calls for service at the family's home or anything "out of the ordinary that would be a red flag to us."
“It’s OK not be OK. It’s just not OK not to ask for help," he said.
Anyone experiencing a mental health crisis is urged to reach out for help. You can contact the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay at 211 or call 911. The National Domestic Violence Hotline can be reached 24/7 at 800-799-7233. Anyone experiencing a mental health crisis can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
You can watch the full news conference below.
Correction: A previous version of this article misspelled Schultz's name.