PEMBROKE PARK — The man accused of killing a mother and her three children, gravely injuring a fourth child, before turning the gun on himself has died.
On Monday, the Broward Sheriff’s Office issued a statement saying Stephen McKenzie, 34, of Hallendale Beach, was prounounced dead in a local hospital on Thursday.
McKenzie is accused of killing Julie Cruz, 32, and the children Xion Solomon, 11; Nova McKenzie, 2; and Emery McKenzie, 2, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
McKenzie also shot 8-year-old Phiinyx Solomon, another one of Cruz’s children, before shooting himself, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Cruz was the mother of all four children. McKenzie is the father of Nova and Emery, Caro said, but Phiinyx and Xion have a different father.
The mass shooting was reported shortly after 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the apartment building where the family lived in the 3100 block of West Hallendale Beach Boulevard in Pembroke Park. On arriving, Pembroke Park Police, Hallendale Beach Police and Broward Sheriff’s officers found the six people who had been shot; only Phiinyx Solomon and McKenzie were alive at the time.
Phiinyx remains in serious condition at a local hospital.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office Homicide Unit detectives took over the investigation at the request of the Pembroke Park Police Department. Detectives are still investigating what led to the shooting.
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