LAKE WALES/SANFORD -- Police say the man wanted for shooting a woman and her three children to death at a Lake Wales apartment is deceased after an officer-involved shooting.
They say 38-year-old Al Stenson was found at the Slumberland Motel in Sanford. Crisis negotiators spoke with him over several hours, and say he told them he would kill himself or force police to kill him. Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma says Stenson agreed to put his gun down on the ground, but multiple officers fired when he went for the weapon. FDLE is investigating the shooting.
Police believe Stenson shot the victims in an apartment early Tuesday morning. Family members discovered their bodies that night and called police. Officials say the public is not in danger, as the victims and suspect knew each other. The mother is 40. The three children are aged 11, 17, and 21 years old. Their names have not been released.
Photo: Lake Wales Police/ Canva