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Florida Narcotics Anonymous shooting: What we know about victims, suspected shooter
Police in Florida released the names of the three people who were shot and killed during a Narcotics Anonymous meeting on Monday night, and said the case was being investigated as a double-murder suicide. The motive, while still under investigation, may have been jealousy, authorities said.
EDGEWATER, Fla. - Police in Florida released the names of the three people who were shot and killed during a Narcotics Anonymous meeting on Monday night, and said the case was being investigated as a double-murder suicide. The motive, while still under investigation, may have been jealousy, authorities said.
According to police, Quinton Hunter, 49, also known as "Rags," attended an NA meeting in Edgewater, Florida, a city northeast of Orlando, where he pulled out a gun and shot Ian Greenfield, 59, and took his ex-girlfriend, Erica Hoffman, 33, hostage, before ultimately shooting her.
Police found all three dead on Monday night.
"Mr. Hunter is the ex-boyfriend of Ms. Hoffman and we believe that Mr. Greenfield formed a new relationship with her," said Chief of Edgewater Police Joe Mahoney on Tuesday. "I’m not sure the status or if they had an actual label of boyfriend girlfriend.’
Chief Mahoney said the suspect is believed to have started two short Facebook Live video streams on his Facebook page after the shooting, but did not say anything in them or communicate with authorities. Both last less than four seconds, he said.
"He made no comments. He wasn’t trying to communicate with us. It was just heavy breathing," said Mahoney.
Police said there were about 20 people at the meeting when the shooting happened. Everyone else was able to escape. Police said this appears to have been a targeted attack against Greenfield and Hoffman.
"Was it jealousy? I don’t know that yet," said Chief Mahoney. "There’s still a lot of investigating we have to do on our end."
A family member of the alleged shooter told FOX 35 in a statement that he was an "amazing, humble, selfless man" who was also "in a lot of pain mentally in the end."
"My uncle Rags was an amazing, humble, selfless man. He was such a loving person. No matter what he was always someone you could talk to about anything," the statement said. "My uncle wasn’t what everyone thinks he was. He was in a lot of pain mentally in the end and he did something that was not the best thing to do but he is gone now too."
The statement also expressed love and prayers to the families of the two others who died. FOX 35 was unable to immediately reach the families of Greenfield or Hoffman for comment.
In a separate statement, the Florida Regional Service Committee of Narcotics Anonymous issued a statement condemning the violence and referred to it as a "horrific isolated event." The organization also expressed condolences to the victims' families.