JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Police said two 5-month-old girls and a man were killed when a gunman shot four people, then himself Friday afternoon on Shirley Oaks Drive, off New Berlin Road, in Oceanway. The mother of the babies remains hospitalized.
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said Saturday that investigators believe 28-year-old Gawain Rushane Wilson fatally shot the twins, Hayden and Kayden Hiatt, and 49-year-old Travis James Hiatt (pictured) before killing himself.
Authorities said Wilson (pictured below) also shot 22-year-old Megan Hiatt, who was taken to UF Health Jacksonville with critical injuries.
Go Fund Me account for Megan Hiatt
JSO Director Mike Bruno said police got a call of shots fired just before 4 p.m. Friday and arrived to find five victims with gunshot wounds throughout the house. Four were dead at the scene.
"It appears this maybe spawned from a domestic issue where someone was moving out of the house or something to that effect. It's stemming from some type of domestic issue, Bruno Said.
Neighbors said a Navy family had moved into the home recently. They say Megan Hiatt was in the process of moving out when the shooting started. A vehicle could be seen in the driveway with belongings in boxes loaded inside.
"I don't know the background of the family or anything like that. It's still very early in the investigation so we wanted to get as much information out as we could," Bruno said.
Officers remained in the area through the night as loved ones and neighbors continued to learn about what happened.
Neighbors like Dustin and Heather Fender said that they were stunned by what happened in their usually quiet neighborhood and are trying to figure out what to say to their children.
"It's quiet, I mean we have a really active neighborhood watch program, we look out for each other," Heather Fender said. "(We're telling our kids) the police are just trying to figure out all the details of what happened and that's their job. Mommy and daddy are here to protect you and some things are just not for you to see."
Dustin Fender said he didn't know the family involved in the shooting but said that it's a sad reminder that things like this can happen in any neighborhood.
"It's surprising for sure. It's not something I expected to come home to and it's tragic, but tragedies happen everywhere. We have a great neighborhood and it's unfortunate to have this happen," Fender said. "Nobody wants to realize that something can happen that close to your home. I mean we have young kids. But it happens everywhere and you just try to protect yourself the best you can."