Two men are dead after an apparent murder-suicide early Tuesday, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
In a news briefing on Tuesday afternoon, Chief Deputy Joe Barile said that the investigation began shortly after 2 a.m. in Palm Coast after receiving a 911 call from a woman who reported an armed man had come into her home and was actively shooting.
“The woman and her child escaped to a nearby residence while the shooter was still inside,” Barile stated. “As deputies approached, the shooter — identified as Jerome Curry, 34, Palm Coast — exited the residence and, within seconds, shot himself.”
Deputies recovered the firearm and then went inside the home, finding the body of 28-year-old Andrew Yoder, Barile added. He had suffered several gunshot wounds.
Meanwhile, Curry was taken to the hospital, where he later died, Barile said.
According to Barile, Curry had been taken into custody under the Baker Act on Aug. 13 after he’d made “statements of self-harm” following a recent breakup.
[RELATED: What is the Florida Baker Act, and how does it work?]
In fact, deputies have had numerous encounters with Curry since 2023, most being civil and verbal disputes, Barile explained. However, none of those resulted in criminal charges, and Curry had no criminal history.
Furthermore, deputies said they’d been called to the same property late Monday night for a reported trespassing after Curry came into the home uninvited before leaving in a car ahead of deputies’ arrival.
“Deputies searched the area, surrounding neighborhoods, and Curry’s apartment but were unable to locate him,” a release from the FCSO reads. “Curry later returned to the residence, burglarized the home, and shot Yoder.”
The FCSO pointed to mental health resources for those in a crisis. Anyone feeling suicidal or overwhelmed is urged to contact Flagler Cares at (386) 319-9483; SMA Healthcare at (800) 539-4228; or the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988.
“Our prayers go out to the families affected by this shooting, which resulted in the senseless death of two people. This is a horrific and tragic incident for everyone involved. Being angry or in a mental health crisis does not give anyone the right to take someone else’s life,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “After a series of violent domestic incidents last week, I had just emphasized that domestic violence has no place in our community must stop before it escalates and results in a death like we sadly saw early this morning. It’s well known that high risk for violence persists long after the initial relationship split. There is an elevated risk for increased violence up to two years following the break-up.”