US Coast Guard Member Kills Wife, Child in Murder-Suicide, Authorities Confirm
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, John Presnar worked at the Coast Guard base in Miami Beach
Published on December 16, 2018 at 10:34 am
A U.S. Coast Guard serviceman shot and killed his wife and 7-year-old son, then killed himself early Sunday in Miami, officials said.
The Coast Guard member's daughter was also shot, but was found alive, officials said. The 8-year-old girl was airlifted to Nicklaus Children's Hospital in critical condition.
The double-murder-suicide happened around 12 a.m. Sunday in the 11400 block of Southwest 242nd Lane in Miami, Miami-Dade Police officials said.
Investigators say the man, identified by the U.S. Coast Guard as 44-year-old John Presnar, started shooting during a domestic dispute with his wife.
When the gunfire began, the wife told her mother to run out of the house and call for help. Officers arrived to the house to find Presnar's 39-year-old wife and 7-year-old boy dead from apparent gunfire, according to a statement.
"There's a lady screaming out loud, 'help, help, help,' knocking on people's doors," said Esteban Aguila, a neighbor.
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, Presnar worked at the Coast Guard base in Miami Beach. The agency said Presnar had served with the agency since March 2001.
"The Coast Guard is deeply saddened by this tragedy and our hearts go out to the family members of those who were killed," the department said in a statement. "We continue to pray for and offer the full support of the Coast Guard to the young child fighting for her life."
The Miami-Dade Police Department is investigating the incident. No other details were immediately available.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HELP: Anyone affected by domestic violence, including friends and family members concerned about a loved one, can receive confidential help, advice, information or crisis intervention by calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or by visiting the website thehotline.org, which offers a live chat service.