Police in Central Florida say Ernst Cherizard, 38, shot and killed two women Friday, with a 6-year-old girl also on life support. Cherizard could now be in South Florida.
The shooting occurred at Citrus Ridge Apartments, Haines City , after which, police say, Cherizard fled in a burgundy 2011 Nissan Altima with the Florida license plate GZN C82. That license plate was picked up early Saturday morning by a toll booth in Boynton Beach.
Police are still unsure of a motive but say Cherizard was the boyfriend of one of the women, 23-year-old Eli Normil. Six-year-old Isabella Frenel, Normil’s daughter, was shot three times and flown to Orlando. She is brain dead and on life support.
According to local Polk County station WFLA, Cherizard and Normil have two children, but Frenel is not one of them. The third victim, 48-year-old Nicole Guillume, is Normil’s aunt.
Guillume was shot and killed outside an apartment after asking Cherizard about her niece. After Cherizard fled and police arrived, they found the body of Normil inside the apartment, along with Frenel, who had been shot three times, including once in the head.
Haines City Police have asked anyone who spots the Nissan Altima or Cherizard to immediately call 911.
“It’s disgusting to say the least,” Haines City police Chief James Elensky said of the child being shot. “We need to find him before he kills anybody else.”
Police said Cherizard posted on social media early Saturday about the shooting, saying in part of a Facebook post directed at his children, “daddy is so sorry with all my heart cuz I can’t believe this happened,” the release states.
Elensky said his prayers are with the women’s family and the first responders “who did everything they could at the scene,” the release states.
“Despite his indicated remorse, make no mistake about it — this man is a monster,” Elensky said in the release. “To consciously shoot three innocent, unarmed females is nothing less than being a coward. To shoot a truly innocent 6-year-old child is disgusting and beyond comprehension.”
Information from the Associated Press was included in this report
dsweeney@SunSentinel.com, 954-356-4605 or Twitter @Daniel_Sweeney