Tweet
In devastating news, five bodies were found after a Florida mom shot her four children and then turned the gun on herself, on the morning of May 15. Authorities said three of the four children ran to their next-door neighbor’s house before their mother Tanya Thomas called them back home and killed them. The children’s ages ranged from 12-17. Brevard County Sheriff Lt. Tod Goodyear said their neighbor called 911 after hearing gunshots. Shortly after, three children knocked on the neighbor’s door and said they had been shot.
Tanya, 33, ordered them back to the house and proceeded to shoot and kill them, said Goodyear. Once the neighbor heard more gunshots, 911 was called again. When police arrived, they saw Pebbles Johnson, 17, outside, suffering from her wounds. They heard four shots from inside the house. Pebbles was taken to an ambulance in a police car but died enroute to the hospital.
Tanya then emerged from her house with the gun and retreated when she saw the deputies approach. After a final gunshot was heard, a SWAT team entered the home and found Tanya had killed herself with her gun and her three other children, Joel Johnson, 12, Jazlin Johnson, 13, and Jaxs Johnson, 15, murdered.
Students at two Brevard County schools are coping with the loss of four classmates Wednesday after their mother shot and killed them at their Port St. John home. It's not yet clear what caused 33-year-old Tonya Thomas to kill her children before turning the gun on herself. Brevard County Sheriff's Office investigators are still piecing the case together.
The three older children attended Space Coast Junior-Senior High School in Cocoa.
"I didn't know them personally, but I do know Peebles. She always had a smile on her face," student Logan Peterson said. Jaxs's football teammates visited the home, along with other friends and strangers, on Wednesday morning. Flowers, toys, candles and football jerseys now line the front walkway. Kurt Taylor said his children knew the Johnson kids.
"They're upset about it. Why would somebody, a mother, do something like that to their kids?" Taylor said. The youngest child, 12-year-old Joel, was a sixth-grader at Atlantis Elementary School.
"It's a tragedy," Principal Bob Spinner said. "I'm not at liberty to talk about them personally. However, we love our children here at Space Coast. All of our hearts to go out to their relatives and their friends." Unclear What Led To Shooting Thomas sent a text message to someone at 4 a.m. telling them she wanted to be cremated with her children, according to Sheriff's Office spokesman Tod Goodyear, but the friend did not read the text until 7 a.m.
Officials said they believe that Jaxs Johnson was the first one shot. He was found in his bed.
A neighbor told deputies that Joel Johnson, Jazlin Johnson and Pebbles Johnson knocked on the front door around 4 a.m. Joel Johnson told the neighbor he had been shot, according to deputies. Pebbles Johnson had likely already been shot as well, but the neighbor only noticed that Joel was bleeding.
Officials said the mother then called the children back into the house, and they obeyed. Joel and Jazlin walked back into the home, but investigators believe Pebbles did not make it back inside. She was later found lying dead in the front yard.
Lt. Tod Goodyear of the Brevard County Sheriff's Office said they received a call before 5 a.m. from the neighbor reporting the incident. More gunfire was heard after authorities arrived. At 5:26 a.m., one last shot was heard, which was likely the shot that killed Tonya Thomas. Deputies said her wound appeared self-inflicted. After finding Pebbles's body, SWAT officers then entered the home to find the four other family members dead.
Goodyear said the sheriff's office had been called to the residence for a domestic complaint involving Jaxs Johnson with his mother in April. "I know there was some criminal mischief done at the house and I don't know if the domestic violence arrest was because he did some damage at the house or if he actually battered mom," said Goodyear. According to the arrest report for that incident, Thomas accused Jaxs of throwing a bike through her window and that he got into a physical fight with her when she tried to wake him up for school.
A neighbor said he tried to talk to Thomas about issues with her kids.
"The cops have been called to that house many times because the kids were terrorizing the neighbors," said neighbor Travis St. Peter. St. Peter said the kids shot out windows with BB guns and he heard Thomas yell at the kids to quit shooting off fireworks. The family pastor, Jarvis Walsh, said he saw all five family members on Sunday and admits the family had issues. Walsh said the issues were not different than any other issues many families with teenagers face.
"Disrespectful and getting in trouble at school," said Walsh. "Things like that, but not anything bad. I don't know anything a kid could do to make their parents want to murder them."
Friends of the slain teen came to the house Tuesday night bringing flowers and candles. Jacob Nelson said he sat next to Jaxs Johnson in history class. “After we found out who died at our school no one really wanted to talk. It was just really hard to digest what really happened and how it happened,” said Nelson. The children's father does not live in the house, but does live in the area.
A prayer vigil will be held Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the First Baptist Church on Fay Boulevard in Port St. John.
Real Shocking Crimes caught on camera: "Warning Graphic."
Subscribe to VesInteL World News by Email
In devastating news, five bodies were found after a Florida mom shot her four children and then turned the gun on herself, on the morning of May 15. Authorities said three of the four children ran to their next-door neighbor’s house before their mother Tanya Thomas called them back home and killed them. The children’s ages ranged from 12-17. Brevard County Sheriff Lt. Tod Goodyear said their neighbor called 911 after hearing gunshots. Shortly after, three children knocked on the neighbor’s door and said they had been shot.
Tanya, 33, ordered them back to the house and proceeded to shoot and kill them, said Goodyear. Once the neighbor heard more gunshots, 911 was called again. When police arrived, they saw Pebbles Johnson, 17, outside, suffering from her wounds. They heard four shots from inside the house. Pebbles was taken to an ambulance in a police car but died enroute to the hospital.
Tanya then emerged from her house with the gun and retreated when she saw the deputies approach. After a final gunshot was heard, a SWAT team entered the home and found Tanya had killed herself with her gun and her three other children, Joel Johnson, 12, Jazlin Johnson, 13, and Jaxs Johnson, 15, murdered.
Students at two Brevard County schools are coping with the loss of four classmates Wednesday after their mother shot and killed them at their Port St. John home. It's not yet clear what caused 33-year-old Tonya Thomas to kill her children before turning the gun on herself. Brevard County Sheriff's Office investigators are still piecing the case together.
The three older children attended Space Coast Junior-Senior High School in Cocoa.
"I didn't know them personally, but I do know Peebles. She always had a smile on her face," student Logan Peterson said. Jaxs's football teammates visited the home, along with other friends and strangers, on Wednesday morning. Flowers, toys, candles and football jerseys now line the front walkway. Kurt Taylor said his children knew the Johnson kids.
 |
| Pebbles Johnson |
"They're upset about it. Why would somebody, a mother, do something like that to their kids?" Taylor said. The youngest child, 12-year-old Joel, was a sixth-grader at Atlantis Elementary School.
"It's a tragedy," Principal Bob Spinner said. "I'm not at liberty to talk about them personally. However, we love our children here at Space Coast. All of our hearts to go out to their relatives and their friends." Unclear What Led To Shooting Thomas sent a text message to someone at 4 a.m. telling them she wanted to be cremated with her children, according to Sheriff's Office spokesman Tod Goodyear, but the friend did not read the text until 7 a.m.
Officials said they believe that Jaxs Johnson was the first one shot. He was found in his bed.
A neighbor told deputies that Joel Johnson, Jazlin Johnson and Pebbles Johnson knocked on the front door around 4 a.m. Joel Johnson told the neighbor he had been shot, according to deputies. Pebbles Johnson had likely already been shot as well, but the neighbor only noticed that Joel was bleeding.
Officials said the mother then called the children back into the house, and they obeyed. Joel and Jazlin walked back into the home, but investigators believe Pebbles did not make it back inside. She was later found lying dead in the front yard.
Lt. Tod Goodyear of the Brevard County Sheriff's Office said they received a call before 5 a.m. from the neighbor reporting the incident. More gunfire was heard after authorities arrived. At 5:26 a.m., one last shot was heard, which was likely the shot that killed Tonya Thomas. Deputies said her wound appeared self-inflicted. After finding Pebbles's body, SWAT officers then entered the home to find the four other family members dead.
Goodyear said the sheriff's office had been called to the residence for a domestic complaint involving Jaxs Johnson with his mother in April. "I know there was some criminal mischief done at the house and I don't know if the domestic violence arrest was because he did some damage at the house or if he actually battered mom," said Goodyear. According to the arrest report for that incident, Thomas accused Jaxs of throwing a bike through her window and that he got into a physical fight with her when she tried to wake him up for school.
 |
| Jaxs Johnson |
A neighbor said he tried to talk to Thomas about issues with her kids.
"The cops have been called to that house many times because the kids were terrorizing the neighbors," said neighbor Travis St. Peter. St. Peter said the kids shot out windows with BB guns and he heard Thomas yell at the kids to quit shooting off fireworks. The family pastor, Jarvis Walsh, said he saw all five family members on Sunday and admits the family had issues. Walsh said the issues were not different than any other issues many families with teenagers face.
"Disrespectful and getting in trouble at school," said Walsh. "Things like that, but not anything bad. I don't know anything a kid could do to make their parents want to murder them."
Friends of the slain teen came to the house Tuesday night bringing flowers and candles. Jacob Nelson said he sat next to Jaxs Johnson in history class. “After we found out who died at our school no one really wanted to talk. It was just really hard to digest what really happened and how it happened,” said Nelson. The children's father does not live in the house, but does live in the area.
A prayer vigil will be held Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the First Baptist Church on Fay Boulevard in Port St. John.
Real Shocking Crimes caught on camera: "Warning Graphic."
Subscribe to VesInteL World News by Email
