Hillsborough deputy kills three family members, then himself

The radio call came in just before 7 a.m. Wednesday.

A Hillsborough County sheriff's deputy said he had harmed family members and was going to kill himself.  When deputies tracked him down near Plant City High School a short time later, he fatally shot himself.

The deputy has been identified as 58-year-old Terry Strawn.  Investigators then discovered the bodies of Strawn's wife Theresa and his granddaughter, six-year-old Londyn Strawn.  The body of Strawn's 32-year-old daughter Courtney was found her house near Plant City High.  

Sheriff Chad Chronister said Strawn had been with the agency since 1991.  He said Strawn retired last year, but was rehired over the summer as a school resource officer at Valrico Elementary School, where Londyn attended.  

Chronister says, during the radio transmission, Strawn said he loved the sheriff's office but indicated there were health and financial issues weighing on him. 

Chronister says it's critically important that his deputies get the counseling they need and to not be afraid to ask for help.  He says suicides have increased in our community and law enforcers are on the front lines of that situation.  

The sheriff also says he plans to start a suicide prevention and awareness program January 1st that will be part of every deputy's training.



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