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14-Year-Old Surrenders at Church After Fatally Shooting Parents

The sheriff’s office recovered the parents’ firearm as investigators review the teen’s mental health, examining how he accessed the weapon

The scene of a police shooting in Royal Oak, MI May 14th 2018
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Overview

  • A 14-year-old walked from his Fleming Island home to a Middleburg church shortly after midnight, called 911 to confess to killing his parents and waited for deputies to arrest him
  • Deputies found David Lee, 44, and Brandi Smith, 45, dead from gunshot wounds inside their Silver Point residence
  • Investigators recovered the parents’ handgun at the scene and have deemed the incident isolated with no further threat to the community
  • Sheriff Michelle Cook said early findings point to a domestic argument as the catalyst for the shooting but emphasized that detectives are still gathering details
  • Authorities plan to delve into the teen’s school records, mental health history and any potential family or social factors that may have contributed