Man kills wife, shoots stepdaughter in face in Polk County murder-suicide

POLK COUNTY, Fla. — A domestic violence incident left a woman dead and her daughter critically injured in a murder-suicide Monday evening, according to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.

According to Judd, deputies arrived within minutes of a 9-1-1 call just before 11 p.m. from Lemon Avenue in the Highland City area of Lakeland, when a woman reported that a 12-year-old neighbor ran to her house and asked her to call 911 because his stepfather and mother fighting.

WATCH: Man kills wife, shoots stepdaughter in face in Polk County murder-suicide

When deputies entered the house and found Crystal Kenney, the wife of suspected killer Jason Kenney, shot in the head dead.

“Our homicide detectives are distraught when they go in there. There’s a beautiful Christmas tree with lots of Christmas presents under the tree,” Judd said.

In the bedroom, deputies found Crystal's daughter, a 13-year-old girl who was shot in once in the shoulder and once in the face, Judd said. The teen girl remains in critical condition, but stable at the hospital.

“She said I begged him don’t shoot me, don’t shoot me, don’t shoot me and he shot me anyway,” said Judd.

Judd added Jason did not harm his one-year-old biological child who was asleep in her crib, and the cause of the argument that escalated was over Crystal not wanting to watch a football game that Jason wanted to watch on TV.

"He shot a step daughter," Judd said. "He didn't get a chance to shoot a stepson who had run to dial 911."

According to the Polk County Sheriff's Office, Jason jumped into his vehicle and fled the scene and prior to deputies arriving, he is going toward Lake Wales when Judd said Jason calls his sister in upstate New York saying he's "done something very, very bad."

Judd said Jason then went to his deceased father's house, which apparently is currently in probate. He immediately goes into a shed.

Deputies set up around the area, calling for Jason to come out of the shed, which is adjacent to the home, when deputies hear a single gunshot, according to Judd.

Upon entry into the shed deputies find Jason had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Judd also mentioned the discovery of a note from Crystal from sometime in the past, in which she told Jason about he's drinking and using cocaine again and that he needed God.

The note was not dated.

Investigators do not know who the guns registered to, and you don't have to register guns in Florida, Judd said.

“It really shocked us. The children they would wave. The one that did the shooting would come over and talk to us, show us the baby. You would never expect him to do something like that,” said neighbor William Massey.

In response to what's happening with the children, Judd said, "Well, right now they're with the grandparents. [Florida Department of Children and Families] call. DCF will take custody of them. They'll be they are placed right now with grandparents and long term DCF, and the grandparents will have to work that out."