ORLANDO — The family attorney identified the four children who were killed in a long-running standoff in Orlando that began with the shooting of an officer. Late Sunday night, a woman fled an apartment, telling police she was being battered by her boyfriend, Gary Lindsey, 35.
Lindsey is a convicted felon and fired at responding officers, injuring one. The four children were inside the apartment, and he hid out for most of the day.
Police said Lindsey murdered the four children he held hostage and then killed himself. The two children he killed Monday are thought to be his, and the two others are his girlfriend.
Walter Benenati, a family attorney, identified the children to CBS affiliate WKMG Tuesday: Iraya Lopez (12), Lillia Lopez (10), Aidan Lindsey (6), and Dove Lindsey (11).
Benenati created a GoFundMe account to pay for the funeral expenses of his children. He stated that Iraya was a significant gamer and high achiever at school. He said that Lillia, a Sadler Elementary School student, loved going to Disney World, Volcano Bay and other places.
Aidan, who attended Sadler Elementary, also enjoyed dinosaurs and being outside. Twenty-two months old, Dove told the station that he enjoyed running and playing outside.
Benenati described their deaths as “a tragic end to a night filled with horror” on the online fundraising page. He stated that Lindsey had “selfishly taken the lives of these precious angels and then took himself to his death.” These sweet babies have never done anyone any harm.”
Gary Lindsey was polite and friendly to Nicole Gonzalez, a neighbour who returned to her Orlando home Tuesday morning after she had been evacuated from the standoff more than a full day earlier.
Gonzalez stated that Gonzalez’s children were “beautiful, sweet, and well-mannered.”
Another neighbour at the apartment complex near Universal Orlando Resort, Miguel Lopez said that Lindsey’s interactions were “weird.”
Lopez said that he used to see the man walking and smoking on the floor above Lindsey, his girlfriend, and their four children. “Whenever we’d say, ‘Hi. “How are you? He looked like… Lopez shook his head.
Lopez described the harrowing scene that took place during the standoff.
Lopez stated, “We heard gunshots, and I saw through my window that the officer was down.” “The top staircase was full of blood. They brought the police officer down. … It was terrible.”
According to Orlando police Chief John Mina, Kevin Valencia was still in critical condition but is expected to survive. One officer was able to fire back. Valencia, who is in his twenties, has been with the police since 2016.
Officers discovered Lindsey dead in a closet when they entered the apartment at 9 p.m. Mina stated that Lindsey had been there for more than 21 hours.
Mina stated that officers tried to give one of Lindsey’s phones, which had poor service, but found out that one of the children was dead. The authorities tried to save the other children but could not do so due to gunshots.
Blue tarps were placed on the back windows of the apartment building where SWAT officers had entered. Mid-morning, a van carrying a medical examiner left the apartment complex.
Mina stated, “Our hearts go out to all the families involved.”
A spokeswoman for the police stated Tuesday that the medical examiner would determine the exact date and time the children died as part of an investigation.
According to court records, Lindsey’s lengthy criminal history includes arson, battery, and theft. He was currently on probation for multiple charges, including arson.
George Almeida, who lives in a neighbouring apartment, said the lease must have been in Lindsey’s name because the apartment managers conduct background checks on potential tenants.
Almeida stated that he did not know Lindsey but would see him in a gas mask spray painting items near a tree outside his apartment building.
Almeida stated that he looked like a nice man. He didn’t seem like someone who could cause trouble. You never know. “You can’t judge the cover of a book.”
