SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — A domestic violence incident came to a tragic end late Sunday night in Seminole County.
Investigators said Henry Brown stabbed his estranged wife, Chericia Brown, to death, before shooting his two children, Henry Jr. and Aleah, and then himself.
Chericia filed an injunction against her husband in January, saying that Henry Brown hit her and threatened her life.
The injunction states that he was "grabbing her hair, hitting her head against the wall, and shoving a sock in her mouth to cover the screams."
Henry Brown hid Sunday night in the trunk of his wife's car, which was parked at Lake Mary's Chili’s, jumped out and stabbed her, deputies said.
Brown dumped his wife’s body in the bushes outside the restaurant, ran to the rear of the building and got into his vehicle, investigators said.
PDF Document: Read injunction filed by woman in January
Moments later, Henry Brown drove around the building and ran over his wife and two people who were helping her, Lemma said.
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The two people were hit while helping the woman were medical professionals who were dining at the restaurant, Lemma said.
All three were taken to the hospital, where Chericia Brown died.
One of the people trying to help her was released from the hospital and the other was listed in stable condition, Seminole County Sheriff's Deputy Chief Dennis Lemma said.
Hospital shootout
Hours into the investigations, there were “still a lot of questions we need to answer,” Lemma said.
Detectives in Seminole County on Monday were dealing with four dead bodies and three different crime scenes.
After leaving Sanford, Brown drove to an apartment complex in Altamonte Springs, changed vehicles and picked up his two children, ages 1 and 4, from a babysitter, investigators said.
He drove to the Central Florida Regional Hospital, arriving at 12:25 a.m., Lemma said.
Brown barged into the crowded emergency department, leaving the children in his truck, but was recognized by deputies and Sanford police officers, investigators said.
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As Brown fled, he pulled out a gun and opened fire inside the hospital, Lemma said.
Deputies returned fire, but Brown was able to make it back to his truck and drive away.
If not for quick thinking on the part of law enforcement personnel, the shootout could have ended in numerous injuries or deaths, Lemma said.
The sheriff’s office did not release the number of shots Brown fired in the hospital or how many were fired back at him.
No one was injured in the exchange of gunfire, Lemma said.
Deputies were able to quickly track down Brown’s vehicle, a Ford F-250 pickup, and disable it.
When deputies approached the vehicle, they found that Brown had killed the two children and himself, Lemma said.
It was not clear if the children were killed before or after Henry Brown arrived at the hospital, the sheriff’s office said.
“We have all of our investigators from various units out here. They’ve been out here since 10 p.m., digging up every piece of information that we can find and (trying) to connect the dots,” Lemma said.
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Couple's history with police
The couple's domestic violence issues were documented last December when the Altamonte Springs Police Department responded to a report of domestic violence between the couple at Crescent Place Condos.
Chericia Brown, 31, claimed that her husband, Henry Brown, 30, had attacked her and threatened to kill her and their two children, an incident report said.
The responding officer reported that there wasn’t enough evidence to make an arrest, and because Chericia Brown had moved out of the home, authorities didn’t believe that there was a reason to worry about violence in the future.
“Due to the fact that (the victim) will not be returning to the home and has not returned in 48 hours, the fear of further violence does not exist,” the report said.
Henry Brown told the officer that his wife was making up the story because she found out that he was having an affair, the report said.
An assistant state attorney agreed with the officer’s assessment of the situation, and said there was “insufficient evidence to prove this case beyond a reasonable doubt,” in a Feb. 10 letter to Chericia Brown.
Cox Media Group
