Three-year-old child and two adults fatally shot during fight over dog sale

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Three people – including a three-year-old girl – have been shot dead and another two adults injured in a shooting over a dog sale in Florida.

Police responded to complaints of gunshots at a Jacksonville apartment complex, said Sheriff’s Office Assistant Chief JD Stronko at a news conference on Sunday.

There were five victims: four adults and a three-year-old child. Mr Stronko said that officials believed the adults got together “possibly to conduct the private sale of a dog.”

For reasons unknown, a dispute escalated and shots were fired.

Four of the five were shot – three of those now dead, including the three-year-old, the assistant chief added.

“Two unknown Black males were observed fleeing the scene, possibly in a black sedan,” witnesses told police, but suspect information is limited, he said.

Detectives from the homicide unit are working on the case, he said.

Regarding those who were shot, Mr Stronko said that one victim has not been identified, while the other two adults were in their 20s.

It’s unclear how the parties knew one another. Neither the victims’ nor the suspects’ names were released. However, a family member identified the three-year-old on Facebook as Kae’Lynn Marie Matthews.

Her grandmother wrote, “Y’all took my one and only grandchild from me…WTF..did she do to y’all for y’all to take her life…SHE DIDNT DESERVE THIS AT ALL!!!!”

Her mother wrote on Facebook, “3 years old. I can give you 3 MILLION reasons why i needed her. MY GIRL MY WHOLE WORLD im falling apart lord!”

The Independent has reached out to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.