LAKELAND, Fla. — It was a tragedy that no one expected to happen the day before Christmas. Three adults were shot and killed in a double murder-suicide in Lakeland.
"We went from a very happy evening with our family and then come home and see that this has happened to one of our neighbors," Mary LeRoy said.
Police removed four children from the home after gunshots shocked a quiet neighborhood.
"For the rest of their lives that's what Christmas is going to mean to them," LeRoy said.
Now, the Lakeland community is trying to give them hope again. William Dunn owns his own organization called Take a Kid Fishing., where he helps children who are struggling to live. He immediately posted to Facebook to get Christmas gifts for the children.
"People just started reaching out to me saying they have bicycles and they were going to unwrap gifts to bring to these kids. It chokes me up," Dunn said.
The response he's gotten is overwhelming. Hundreds want to help.
"It's not going to heal, but it's a healing process. I mean it's going to take a long time for these kids and what they witnessed," Dunn said.
All gifts can be dropped off at the Anchor House in Lakeland. The executive director wants the gifts to help the kids heal.
"We want to give them hope, and we to tell them that there are loving people out there. We want this to be one of the first things that they have when they look upon this tragedy which they're going to think about for the rest of their lives," Joseph Davis said.
All gifts can be dropped off at Anchor House's front office until 4 p.m. Thursday. The social services organization is located at 3000 K-Ville Avenue in Auburndale. William Dunn will personally deliver the gifts to the family.
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