PLANT CITY, FL — During a press conference Thursday morning, Plant City Police Chief Richard Mills Jr. announced that a May 3 shooting that left four people dead was a murder-suicide carried out by 27-year-old Hailey Dempsey, who police said killed her mother and two young daughters before taking her own life.
Mills said the investigation determined that Dempsey first shot and killed her mother, 55-year-old Valerie Deboe, at a residence in the 900 block of North Burton Street. Deboe had been staying with the family to help Dempsey move from the residence.
Dempsey then gathered her three daughters and left the residence on foot. Shortly before 7 a.m., police said she concealed herself and the children behind bushes and trees near the 300 block of West Tever Street.
Police said Dempsey shot and killed her 4-year-old and 4-month-old daughters. She also attempted to shoot her 2-year-old daughter but missed. The child survived and was not physically injured. Four gunshots fired in the wooded area could be heard on a nearby Ring camera. Investigators recovered four shell casings from the scene. Dempsey then shot herself. She was still alive when officers arrived but later died at a hospital.
During Thursday’s press conference, Mills said there were signs Dempsey had been experiencing mental health issues. Investigators also found dozens of firearms inside the home.
Mills said Dempsey had been going through issues with her husband and that the couple had an argument several days before the shootings regarding pornography. Police said her husband has not been charged in connection with the deaths.
The Plant City Police Department has completed its investigation and officially ruled the deaths a murder-suicide. “This is a tragedy that has deeply affected two families, our community, and the men and women of the Plant City Police Department,” Mills said. “While today’s findings provide answers and investigative closure, they cannot lessen the tremendous loss or pain caused by what occurred.”
SOURCE: Plant City Police Department Press Release
