WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — A 25-year-old man shot and killed his 28-year-old girlfriend before turning the gun on himself at the South Lake Howard Nature Park, authorities said.
The man's mother called police around 10:40 p.m. Wednesday after her son called her telling her he shot his girlfriend and was going to shoot himself, according to the Winter Haven Police Department.
She told police her son was walking along a pier in a park with a lake.
Officers and members from the Polk County Sheriff's Office searched through Winter Haven parks and found two bodies in Lake Howard Nature Park.
The officer discovered the body of the girlfriend in a grassy area near the parking lot, and a Polk County deputy found the man in a grassy area on the opposite side of the park with a weapon.
"This is an absolute heartbreaking situation that occurred overnight," Winter Haven Deputy Chief Vance Monroe said in a statement. "Our hearts go out to both families who just tragically lost their loved ones."
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 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.
