The four children taken hostage by a man accused of shooting an Orlando police officer have died after a standoff that lasted for about 20 hours, police said.
Orlando police Chief John Mina announced early Tuesday morning that suspect Gary Lindsey shot and killed the children -- two of whom were his own -- and then killed himself.
On Tuesday, the attorney representing the family posted a GoFundMe page and released photos and the names of the young victims.
Click here to donate to the family's funeral expenses
"We had been working very hard during this long day to bring this situation to a peaceful resolution. Unfortunately it has a very tragic and sad ending,” Mina said. “Our hearts go out to the family of those four children."
Mina said negotiators lost communication with Lindsey around 8:30 p.m. Monday because of a poor connection. When SWAT team members moved in to bring him a phone, they could see that one of the children was dead. Lindsey's body was found in a closet.
The children ranged in age from 1 to 11 years old. Orlando police have not released the names of the children. Neighbors told Eyewitness News Monday that two of the children belonged to the suspect, and the other two were a girlfriend’s.
The standoff started late Sunday night when police said Lindsey beat an ex-girlfriend, who called police to report a domestic dispute at the Westbrook apartment complex on Eaglesmere Drive, just north of Universal Studios.
WFTV's helicopter was over the scene of the standoff late Monday. The windows of the apartment appeared to be broken and there were no lights coming from the apartment.
Lindsey opened fire when officers arrived, shooting Officer Kevin Valencia, police said. Sources said that Valencia was shot in the eye. Fellow officers rushed Valencia to Orlando Regional Medical Center where he underwent surgery early Monday morning. Mina said Valencia suffered "very significant injuries," but is expected to survive.
“Everyone is sending prayers for Kevin and his family,” Mina said.
Police evacuated residents from the Westbrook apartment complex shortly after the standoff started. Many of them spent Monday morning at a McDonald’s, before police relocated them to a nearby Holiday Inn. Police started to allow residents back into their homes Tuesday morning.
Court records show Lindsey had an extensive criminal history. Paperwork shows three arrests since 2004. In 2009, Lindsey pleaded no contest to charges of arson and fleeing or attempting to elude a law enforcement officer after investigators said he set an Orange County home on fire after an argument with his girlfriend.
Records show he received 35 years of community supervision, and while under supervision, he has been picked up for a series of probation violations, culminating in 2012 with an aggravated battery and aggravated assault charge in Orange County, stemming from a fight with another girlfriend.
Lindsey was released when the state couldn't file charges after 30 days.
Court records show Lindsey had an extensive criminal history. Paperwork shows three arrests since 2004. In 2009, Lindsey pleaded no contest to charges of arson and fleeing or attempting to elude a law enforcement officer after investigators said he sent an Orange County home after an argument with his girlfriend.
Records show he received 35 years of community supervision, and while under supervision, he has been picked up for a series of probation violations, culminating in 2012 with an aggravated battery and aggravated assault charge in Orange County, stemming from a fight with another girlfriend.
Lindsey was released when the state couldn't file charges after 30 days.
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