2 young children, 2 women killed in Plant City, police investigating quadruple murder

Children, women dead in murder investigation

Four people, including a 4-month-old, a 4-year-old, their 28-year-old mother, and a 55-year-old woman, were killed in a shooting spanning two locations in Plant City, according to police. FOX 13's Blake DeVine reports.

PLANT CITY, Fla. - The Plant City Police Department is conducting a murder investigation that spanned two different locations within the city on Sunday.

What we know:

Officers say they responded to the 300 block of West Trever Street after a reported disturbance, where four people were found. According to the police department, a 4-month-old and a 4-year-old were found with gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead at the scene. Their 28-year-old mother was alive when police arrived but later died at the hospital, authorities say. Another child was also found at the scene, not physically injured.

Investigators say officers were led to a second location in the 900 block of North Burton Street where the 55-year-old mother of the 28-year-old was also shot and killed.

Why you should care:

Detectives are asking for the community's help. The investigation revealed that some of the people traveled on foot between North Burton Street and the West Tever Street locations during the early morning hours.

The department is asking residents and business owners in the surrounding neighborhoods to review surveillance or doorbell camera footage recorded between 5:30 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. on Sunday.

Investigators are specifically looking for video of a woman walking with three young children in the areas of:

• North Burton Street
• West Tever Street
• Surrounding vicinity

What they're saying:

Ashley and John Czarniak live on North Burton Street. They described tensions boiling between their next-door neighbors.

"They had some type of disagreement on Friday to where the police were called by the wife. Then in that time, her mother came," John Czarniak said.

Courtesy: Ashley Czarniak

What happened next — raised red flags.

"The night before everything happened, we noticed him putting on a bulletproof vest and then loading a large duffel bag into the trunk of his car," John Czarniak said.

Jody Kott lives on West Trever Street.

"We're devastated. Watching everything that unfolded yesterday is horrible," Kott said.

Kott says she’s scarred for life after watching the victims being pulled away by paramedics.

"I absolutely pray for them. God needs to be with them. From what I saw, they will need every prayer they can get," Kott said.

What we don't know:

Authorities have not released the names of the victims or a possible motive. The investigation remains active and ongoing.

What you can do:

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Plant City Police Department at 813-763-3316. Tips can be submitted anonymously.