teen suspects left notes after murdering police officer
Police officers in Windermere, Florida say that two teenagers took their own lives after shooting a police officer. The pair were stopped by the officer for walking through a neighborhood at around 4:00 a.m. The law enforcement official called for backup at that time. An Orange County officer responded to the backup call to find the other officer down in the roadway. The officer suffered from fatal gunshot wounds.
Police conducted a tactical rescue for the fallen officer in an attempt to save his life. A tactical rescue is when the patrol car is used as a shield to keep everyone safe from further shooting. This type of rescue was likely used after the gunfire was heard by responding officers. Reports do not indicate if the officer was pronounced dead at the scene or if he died later at the hospital.
The authorities reported hearing shots fired when they were at the scene. The officials did not discuss whether they thought the gunshots came from the suicide of the teenagers. They later discovered the bodies of the two teenagers in the brush not far from the scene. They left suicide notes; however, officials did not reveal what was in the notes. No motive for the crime has been forthcoming. A funeral for the fallen police officer is to be held Thursday.
Officer Robert German was 31-years-old and worked on the force for five years prior to his death. The teenagers were 18-year-old Brandon Goode and 17-year-old Alexandria Hollinghurst. The reports did not reveal if their families had been notified of the deaths.
On Wednesday, 18-year-old Brandon Goode’s parents released a statement saying that they could not comprehend the senseless loss of Officer German.
“We are heartbroken and overwhelmed with grief. We cannot comprehend the senseless loss of Officer German’s life, the death of Alexandria Hollinghurst and for our family, the loss of our 18 year old son, Brandon. Words do not exist to express the measure of our sorrow and sadness. Our deepest sympathy and our heartfelt prayers go out to the friends and family of Officer German. We are so, so sorry to them for what happened and they will be forever in our prayers. We know a community grieves and like everyone else in our community, we ourselves are struggling to understand this most horrific tragedy. We have no answers, only questions. Whether mental illness, substance abuse or something else, we are a family searching. We choose and wish to cooperate openly and fully with law enforcement as they mourn the loss of their fallen brother and search for answers that we don’t have. We must now ask for privacy. The pain we are each experiencing is unimaginable. There is a young step brother and step sister that desperately need solitude and love. We ask that you respect this situation and understand that they are innocent and too many have been hurt already. We humbly and prayerfully ask that we be allowed to grieve privately as we continue our own very painful journey towards understanding. As such there will be no more public statements.”
To her mother, Alexandria wrote the following last words:
“I could write to you for days, but I know nothing would actually make a difference to you. You are much too ignorant and self-concerned to even attempt to listen or understand, everyone knows that. If I had stayed another minute I would have painted the walls and stained the carpets with my blood, so you could clean it up. I wish I were never born.”
Brandon Goode, who had been arrested earlier in the year for possessing alcohol while underage as well as several other petty crimes had written the following words in hand-written and neat letters:
“To my loving parents, I am sorry for all the pain and misery I have brought you both, not just now but from these past few years as well. I don’t want to go through life knowing because of my mistakes that I amounted to nothing and was there fore (sic) a disappointment. Don’t take that as me putting the blame on you because that is the furthest thing from the truth. Both of you have been so amazing with your constant help and support through my life. I love you with all my heart. Please don’t be sad, this is what I want now, I get to die peacefully with the woman I love, the woman of my dreams, my fiancé (yes we were engaged!). I miss you both so much already.”
Source:
Teen suspects left notes
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2014/03/florida-teens-suspected-in-cop-slaying-left-suicide-notes-police-say/
Teen suspects left notes: Last words by Brandon Goode, Alexandria Hollinghurst
http://www.examiner.com/article/teen-suspects-left-notes-last-words-by-brandon-goode-alexandria-hollinghurst
