MACON, Ga. — Late Tuesday night, family members of Janet and James Samuel and Deshasta Childs learned all three had been shot to death.
"I just couldn't believe it. I mean, I jumped in the car and I came, and when I walked up to the door, I saw one of my family members and they were dead," says Libby Rutland.
"This monster just came and destroyed our family and there's nothing we can do," says Amber Smith.
Police say the culprit is 29-year-old Caesar Crockett, boyfriend of 30-year-old Jamila French and father of 2-year-old King.
All six people involved lived together in a house on Moreland Avenue. Bibb County Sheriff David Davis says that's where Crockett opened fire on the family.
"This is one of those crimes that kind of shocks the conscience when you have a whole family that is shot and killed in a domestic-type situation," says Davis.
Davis says it started as a fight between Crockett and French. French got away and called for help, but Crockett allegedly shot all 3 adults and took off with the toddler. He fled to Florida where he eventually crashed his car and began an armed standoff with police.
Family says King's grandparents, Janet and James, cherished the little boy.
"They loved that baby. They did everything that they could possibly do to just make sure that he was raised in the right way," says Rutland.
Sheriff Davis says it's unclear what started the dispute -- that's still under investigation.
Davis says Crockett was charged with simple battery for family violence back in 2015. He could not confirm if that arrest involved any of the victims from Tuesday night's shooting.
If you have any idea what happened, you can call the Bibb Sheriff's Office at 478-751-7500.
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