‘EXTREMELY DISTURBING’

Florida Dad Accused of Shooting 5-Year-Old and 8-Year-Old in the Head

Police say he initially claimed the shooting was an accident.

A man in Tampa, Florida, has been charged with first-degree murder for allegedly shooting his 5-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son in the head. The 5-year-old was pronounced dead after being rushed to a hospital, while the 8-year-old is in critical condition, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said. Sheriff Chad Chronister told reporters at a Tuesday press conference that the father, 30-year-old Jermaine Lavanda Bass, claimed the shooting was accidental when authorities first arrived at the scene Monday night. “You don’t accidentally shoot your children three to four times in the head,” he said, calling the case “extremely disturbing.” The children’s mother had reportedly just put the kids to bed when she went into the other room and then heard gunshots, initially thinking they had been fired outside the home. It was only after she ran outside and found a neighbor calling 911 that she learned the victims were her own children; the sheriff said Bass came out of the house carrying the gravely wounded 8-year-old, saying, “call for help.” Police found the 5-year-old in her bed a short time later.