Florida state troopers were in a standoff Wednesday afternoon with a Georgia man accused of fatally shooting three people in his child’s mother’s family, and then leaving with the child, authorities said.
Caesar Zamien Lamar Crockett Jr., 29, is wanted on three counts of murder and one count of kidnapping, according to a statement from the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office. His vehicle was spotted on Interstate 75 near Tampa on Wednesday, which led to a police chase onto Interstate 4, according to a Florida Highway Patrol news release.
Crockett eventually crashed near the interchange between the two highways, FHP said. The child was recovered safely, but Crockett remained in the vehicle in a standoff with law enforcement, officials said.
Police said the shooting incident was reported at 9:22 p.m. on Tuesday, involving a family on Moreland Avenue in Macon.
According to a statement from the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office on Facebook, police said after deputies arrived on the scene, they found three people dead in the house and one female with injuries.
The injured victim, identified as 30-year-old Jamila Augustine French and the mother of Lamar Crockett’s child, said she got into a fight with Lamar Crockett, who then shot and killed three members of French’s family.
“During the altercation, Crockett pulled a firearm and shot French’s mother, step-father and sister killing them,” according to the statement.
Police said Lamar Crockett then fled the scene with his 2-year-old son King Cane Crockett.
The boy was last seen wearing a black shirt, blue jogging pants with a white stripe on the side and a black and white hoodie with a blue superman logo on the front, according to the statement.
Lamar Crockett is 6 foot 1 inches tall and weighs between 180 to 200 pounds. He was last seen wearing a black long sleeve shirt and black shorts with red and white stripes on the side.
Police added photos of Lamar Crockett, the child, and a vehicle similar to the one Lamar Crockett is believed to be driving.
Macon is a consolidated city-county located in Georgia approximately 85 miles southeast of Atlanta.
Parental Kidnapping
According to the Polly Klaas Foundation, approximately 200,000 children are kidnapped each year by a family member.
Child custody experts say that people kidnap their own children to force a reconciliation or continued interaction with the other parent, to spite or punish the other parent, or from fear of losing custody or visitation rights.
Common warnings signs include the other parent threatening abduction, suspected abuse, or paranoid delusion.
Lorenz Duchamps and The Associated Press contributed to this report