TAMPA, Fla. — The Spring of Tampa Bay says domestic violence incidents may increase around the Christmas holiday.
Mindy Murphy is President and CEO of the Spring of Tampa Bay.
She said incidents increased around the holidays last year.
"Domestic violence is happening every day of the year...Last year, the entire year, we had an unusually high volume of domestic violence in Hillsborough County," she said.
WATCH: The Spring of Tampa Bay says domestic violence incidents may increase around the holidays
"Some years domestic violence spikes during the holidays and other years, it doesn't, so it's unpredictable, but certainly stress, financial stress, emotional stress can exacerbate a situation, but they don't cause it," she said.
The Polk County Sheriff's Office said three days before Christmas, a 47-year-old man shot and killed his wife and attempted to kill his 13-year-old stepdaughter at their home in Highland City.
The murder-suicide happened just before 11 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 22.
Detectives said Jason Kenney shot and killed his wife, Crystal, after an argument over football.
"An argument began when Crystal suggested they watch something else on television, and the argument got really heated. Crystal told her 12-year-old-son to go call 911. The 12-year-old flees to the neighbor's house in order to dial 911 and as he’s leaving the house, he hears a gunshot," said Sheriff Grady Judd.
Sheriff Judd said Kenney also shot his 13-year-old stepdaughter twice. She was located in a bedroom.
She is in critical condition, but alert at a local hospital, according to deputies.
Deputies also found the couple's one-year-old baby girl asleep in her crib, unharmed.
Sheriff Judd said the sheriff's office has not been called to the home in the past, but Crystal had told family members about abuse in the past.
"We've checked out records to see if we received any calls at the residence, and we have not. He has never been arrested for domestic violence," said Sheriff Judd.
The sheriff's office said Kenney shot and killed himself. He was found in a shed at a family member's home in Lake Wales.
Murphy said The Spring of Tampa Bay has trained advocates and attorneys to assist survivors of domestic violence.
"If your partner has choked you - that is the single greatest risk factor that the next time he harms you could be the final time that he harms you, use of weapons, having access to weapons," said Murphy.
"If your partner has repeatedly said, you know, if you leave me, I’m going to kill myself or I’m going to kill you or I’m going to kill the family pet, that's an increased risk factor," she added.
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