Update on The Triple Homicides https://t.co/yBaRUyYT2X
— PBSO (@PBCountySheriff) June 11, 2021
A man killed a 1-year-old and the child’s 69-year-old grandmother and then died by suicide at a Publix supermarket in Florida. The suspect in the Thursday incident was identified by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office as Timothy Wall, 55. Surveillance footage captured what happened, authorities said.
Deputies withheld the names of the woman and her grandchild, citing Marsy’s Law. Authorities said the grandmother tried to stop the gunman.
He shoots the child. The grandmother interferes with the gunman and because of her brave actions, his gun jams. After some struggling, he then ends up shooting the grandmother and then himself.
— PBSO (@PBCountySheriff) June 11, 2021
In a press conference in Friday, authorities described this as an apparently random attack. The alleged motivation seemed to be clear, however. Wall wrote on Facebook about wanting to kill people and children, said Sheriff Ric Bradshaw.
The shooters own wife said he was acting strangely and paranoid. #IfYouSeeSomethingSaySomething.
— PBSO (@PBCountySheriff) June 11, 2021
Bradshaw voiced anger, saying no one reported these comments before the murders.
“The real sad part of this, other than the fact that two people are dead, is that there was a chance this could be stopped,” he said. “You know why? The reason is he’s on Facebook. He has said, ‘I want to kill people and children.’ He’s got friends. Obviously, they saw that.”
The sister of Wall’s ex-wife said he lived with schizophrenia, according to The Palm Beach Post.
“He had mental issues,” Maia Knight said, telling the outlet her sister had gone to law enforcement in the past regarding Wall. “He wasn’t taking care of himself. My sister was going to the courthouse, going to police, telling everyone he needs help. My sister was trying to help him but didn’t know how.”
[Screengrab via WPLG]