A Florida man fatally shot a pregnant woman and her unborn baby before shooting and killing himself in a domestic-related double murder-suicide on Friday, authorities said.
Riley Groover, 26, shot the woman multiple times around 7 p.m. before he fatally shot himself in front of several witnesses outside their home in the Inwood area of Winter Haven, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said.
First responders at the scene and medical staff at the hospital were unable to save the unborn baby.
“This was a violent and horrific double murder that ended the lives of a 21-year-old woman who was 8 months pregnant, and her unborn baby,” Sheriff Grady Judd, said in a written statement.
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In this mugshot from 2018, Riley Groover is seen following a previous arrest. On Friday, Groover fatally shot a pregnant woman and her unborn baby before shooting and killing himself outside their home in Winter Haven, Florida, authorities said. (Polk County Sheriffs Office)
“When the suspect became enraged, family members and neighbors did everything they could to help her get away from him. Please keep this family in your prayers,” the sheriff continued.
Groover was seen running out of the home after the pregnant woman and yelling, “I’m gonna kill you,” a neighbor who witnessed the shooting told WFTS-TV.
Groover has a criminal history, with previous arrests for aggravated assault and domestic violence, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said. While the couple was reported to have had physical altercations in the past, authorities said none of those had been reported to law enforcement. (Polk County Sheriff’s Office)
Family members told investigators that the couple had arguments that turned physical in the past.
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None of those incidents, however, were reported to law enforcement, the sheriff’s office said.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said the incident was “a violent and horrific double murder.” (Reuters/Bill Cotterell, File)
Groover had previous arrests for aggravated assault and domestic violence. The 21-year-old woman killed Friday was not involved in any of those previous incidents, officials said.
No further details about the double murder-suicide were immediately released.
