Double Homicide-Suicide At Riverview Home: Sheriff

RIVERVIEW, FL — A double-murder suicide involving a family occurred in Riverview Wednesday morning, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said.

Sixty-four-year-old Thomas Schultz of Riverview had already shot and killed his wife as she slept, Chronister told reporters at an afternoon press conference.

Schultz's wife was in her 80s.

Before taking his life, Schultz had shot his stepdaughter who was in her 50s as she lay in a hospital bed connected to a breathing tube, according to Chronister.

Chronister said it is likely that Schultz's wife and stepdaughter had terminal illnesses.

"At 6:17 this morning, our dispatcher gets a phone call from 64-year-old Thomas Schultz who advises that we are in a possible situation with no way out," Chronister said at a press conference Wednesday afternoon. "Please send someone to secure the residence," Schultz told the dispatcher.

"As she [the dispatcher] tried to engage him in conversation, he said, 'I have to go, I'm fixing to shoot myself,'" Chronister said.

According to deputies, Schultz killed himself with a revolver at their home on the 13000 block of Graham Yarden Drive in Riverview.

"There is no such thing as an impossible situation with no way out," Chronister said. "There is always hope. There is always help. And here in the Tampa Bay area, we have such wonderful resources. Some as easy as picking up the phone and calling the crisis Center of Tampa Bay."

Chronister said that was a very difficult call for the dispatcher who has been dealing with the loss of a family member to suicide.

No other details have been released.

This is a developing story. Patch will keep you updated.

If you or a loved one is thinking about suicide, contact the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay by dialing 211 or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.