A man in Florida is dead after allegedly going on a “killing spree,” shooting three women in separate incidents. The victims were his mother, his cousin, and his ex-girlfriend’s new partner, according to authorities.
The suspect, 28-year-old Javontee Brice, first went to an apartment in Palmetto on Monday night, where his sister and ex-girlfriend were present. Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells said at a news conference that Brice told his ex-girlfriend, “I have to kill you.” However, his sister managed to calm him down, and he left without harming anyone there.
Brice then drove to a Motel 6 in Bradenton, where his mother, two young sisters, and his mother’s boyfriend were staying. Around 9:15 p.m., he entered the hotel room, apologized to his mother, and then shot her three times in front of the others.
Afterward, Brice went to a house in Palmetto, where his cousin was attending a cookout. He allegedly shot her as she was getting into her car around 9:40 p.m. She died about an hour later.
Brice’s next stop was a home in Bradenton, where another ex-girlfriend lived with her new partner. Around 10:04 p.m., Brice allegedly shot and killed the new partner.
A statewide alert was issued for Brice’s car, which was later found in Hamilton County, near the Georgia state line. Authorities suspected Brice might be heading to Georgia to kill another ex-girlfriend.
When police stopped Brice around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday in Hamilton County, he got out of the car and started shooting at the officers. The police returned fire, killing him. A woman was in the car with Brice during the shootout and is being interviewed by authorities to determine her connection to him.
Sheriff Wells said Brice’s family is devastated by the deaths of the mother and cousin. Investigators are trying to understand what might have driven Brice to commit these acts. “He seemed to have an agenda; he knew exactly who he wanted to kill and he did not have a hard time locating them,” Wells said. “We don’t know what set this man off. We don’t know why he chose to kill his loved ones. We may never know, but we’re going to continue to investigate.”