A man shot three of his former relatives in a hospital parking lot Thursday, killing one and severely injuring the others before committing suicide outside a nearby school, the county sheriff said.
The family had a history of domestic violence, and an injunction had been issued ordering Denny O’Dell Taylor Sr., 60, to stay away from his former wife and her sister, both of whom were wounded, authorities said.
Taylor, of Fernandina Beach, died from a self-inflicted gunshot to the head, said Nassau County Sheriff Tommy Seagraves.
The man’s former brother-in-law, Roy E. Rogers, 67, was fatally shot in the parking lot of Baptist Medical Center-Nassau. Rogers’ 57-year-old wife, Sara, 57, was in serious condition.
Taylor’s ex-wife, Frances S. Taylor, 55, was shot in the head and was in critical condition.
“We’re still trying to piece this thing together,” Seagraves told reporters outside the hospital, where a man’s body lay next to a car several hours after the shooting before it was removed.
School officials said there were no injuries to students or personnel at Emma Love Hardee Elementary School, where Seagraves said the gunman shot himself in the parking lot as deputies responded to the scene. It wasn’t clear whether the gunman had any connection with the school.
The school was put on lockdown, but parents were allowed to pick up their children early, said Sharyl Wood, executive director of administrative services for the Nassau County School Board.
Officials at Baptist Medical Center-Nassau referred calls to the sheriff’s office.
Fernandina Beach is a wealthy resort area, about 35 miles northeast of Jacksonville.
