Three fatally shot in Hilliard domestic incident
Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper spoke in a somber tone Friday morning as he told the details of a scene at a West 12th Avenue home in Hilliard.
The domestic shooting incident on the evening of July 24 left three dead, the shooter in critical condition and one survivor – a 5-year-old girl.
Marissa Leara Rowell, 32, Sandra Gayle Fogarty, 71, and Alisha Lael Fogarty, 33, were shot and killed before the shooter, 34-year-old Christopher Bobby Rowell, shot himself in the head. All three victims were found deceased. The suspect had a faint pulse and was airlifted to a hospital in downtown Jacksonville, according to Leeper.
According to an email to the News-Leader from the Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday, Rowell was “transported to another hospital on Sunday for organ harvesting. The process can take up to three days, but he has not been pronounced at this time.”
Rowell was pronounced dead later that day.
"Christopher Rowell, the suspect from last week’s deadly shooting in Hilliard, was officially pronounced deceased this afternoon just after 3 p.m. in a local hospital," the sheriff's office said.
Rowell was found in the living room July 24 with a gunshot wound to his head with an SKS-style, 7.62-caliber rifle beside him.
“If you look at the positive from something tragic like this, the positive is the child was not injured, thank God, and the shooter had the courage to shoot himself,” Leeper said.
In the 911 call, “the child said she was in the back of the house, heard a gunshot. She came down the hallway, seen a female on the floor in the living room dining room area. Another female grabbed her, put her in the bathroom. When that individual was shot, she got blood splatter on her,” Leeper said, before pausing for several seconds.
The responding officers’ report said the two arrived at the door of the West 12th Avenue Hilliard residence Thursday after 8 p.m., calling out for anyone to answer. Barking dogs were the only response. The officers found no response as they checked windows for any evidence of people inside. After returning to the front door, officers found it unlocked.
Leeper described the graphic scene they discovered at the press conference held Friday at the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO) in Yulee.
“As they opened the door, they observed a female on the floor between the living room and dining room lying in blood. They then entered the room to conduct a protective sweep prior to attempting to render aid and then observed a male subject lying on the floor in the living room in a puddle of blood with a black assault-style rifle beside him.”
Leeper said as the officers continued their protective sweep, “they found a female in the hallway bathroom with blood and brains splattered all over the wall and the floor.”
Another female was then found lying in a pool of blood on a bedroom floor across the hall, from the bathroom.
“After assuring no one else was inside the residence, they assessed the females who were obviously deceased. As they checked the male, they found a slight pulse,” the sheriff said.
Nassau County Fire Rescue Station 40 responded and airlifted Rowell to Jacksonville.
“A neighbor across the street reported that a 5-year-old female who was inside the residence at the time of the shooting came to their house banging on the door,” Leeper said.
“It appears the shooter first shot the female in the living room, dining room area, then shot the female in the bathroom. And then shot the female in the bedroom,” Leeper said. “He eventually returned to the living room, where he shot himself in the head.
Leeper said the department ha “a theory” but would like to investigate further before releasing more details.
“It’s tragic, it's heartbreaking and totally, totally was unnecessary,” Leeper said.
At the press conference, Leeper said the sheriff’s office responded to another call to the house July 4, but “it could not be verified” and was not a domestic call.
Rowell had no prior arrests or history of mental illness, according to Leeper.
There were other weapons stashed inside the home. “He had several magazines fully loaded that were available for his use,” he said.
Leeper said the 5-year-old is a “very strong little girl, very brave,” and she was with other relatives.
“She's safe, but she was traumatized,” Leeper said.
When asked about the girl's relation to the shooter, Leeper emphasized her protection.
“I’m not gonna say right now, I'm trying to protect her as much as possible. She has certainly been through a traumatic experience that you want no child to go through. We just pray for her, she's gonna need a lot of love, lot of support. and a lot of help within the next few years. I would ask, just pray for her,” he said.
A press release from NCSO said “Investigators and NCSO’s Victim Advocate spoke with the child and later released her to the custody of family members.”
“As a grandfather of two young children, my heart aches for this child. This kind of violence against family members, especially in the presence of a child, is beyond comprehension,” Leeper was quoted saying in the press release. “I want to thank the deputies and investigators who worked swiftly to secure the scene and ensure the child was in safe hands.”
Leeper said some information is subject to change, and more details would be released following the investigation. NCSO said it was an isolated incident, and there was no threat to the public.
Last updated July 30