Terrifying Family Shooting Before Christmas
A tragic domestic violence incident in Polk County, Florida, ended in murder and attempted murder just days before Christmas. Police say 47-year-old Jason Kenney shot and killed his wife, Crystal Kenney, after a heated dispute inside their home. The argument reportedly began over what to watch on television during a Monday Night Football game, police confirmed.
The couple’s 13-year-old daughter saw the violence unfold and was shot twice, including once in the face and shoulder. Miraculously, despite a bullet entering near the bridge of her nose and exiting out the top of her head, she survived and is now speaking from her hospital bed about the ordeal. Authorities are calling her survival nothing short of a “Christmas miracle.”
Teen Recounts Harrowing Moments
From her hospital room, the resilient teenager described begging her stepfather not to shoot her after witnessing him fatally wound her mother. Moments later, he turned the weapon on her. The young survivor told investigators she pleaded with him to stop before the shots were fire.
Responding deputies discovered the teen critically injured and rushed her to a nearby medical center, where she remains in stable but serious condition. Her 12-year-old brother had been sent by their mother to a neighbor’s house to seek help, and he alerted authorities as gunfire erupted. A one-year-old sibling was found unharmed in a crib.
Suspect Flees and Takes Own Life
After the shooting, Jason Kenney fled the scene and eventually made his way to his late father’s property. Deputies located him in a shed on the property as they attempted to take him into custody. He fatally shot himself before officers could intervene.
Sheriff Grady Judd shared that investigators found a note written by Crystal before the shooting, urging her husband to seek help for substance abuse and personal struggles.
Support for the Family
In the aftermath, friends and community members have rallied around the surviving children. A fundraising effort has been launched to assist with medical bills and support for the three siblings as they cope with tremendous loss. The children are now under the care of their maternal grandmother.
