Woman, children found dead in Lake Wales apartment, suspected gunman dead
TAMPA - A man wanted for the murders of a Lake Wales mother and her three children was fatally shot by police after an hours-long standoff.
The suspect, identified as 38-year-old Al Stenson by police, fled to a motel in Sanford after shooting his alleged girlfriend and her children, according to police.
After an hours-long standoff with police Stenson listed three ways the standoff could end, according to Seminole Co. Sheriff Dennis Lemma. He said Stenson said, "I'm going to kill myself, you're going to kill me, or I'm going to surrender."
Lemma said his team was able to convince Stenson to exit the motel room and negotiations continued for hours.
He said police from different departments tried to de-escalate the standoff as much as possible but after seeing Stenson reach for a gun on the ground, three SWAT team members and one police officer fired their guns.
Stenson was killed.
Lake Wales police investigators believe the victims, whose names have not been released, were shot Tuesday around 5 a.m. Officers were called to the scene just before 9 p.m. when someone found the bodies of the 40-year-old woman and her three children, ages 21, 17, and 11.
"Our hearts are broken" for the family, said Lake Wales Police Chief Chris Velasquez.
Velasquez said Stenson was known to the family and may have lived at the apartment.
What led to the shooting is unknown.
