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Kentucky Man Shoots 2 Relatives, Himself In Polk County

Polk County Sheriff's Office

Authorities say a Kentucky man shot two relatives he was visiting in Florida before turning the gun on himself.

In a statement Sunday, Polk County Sheriff's Office spokesman Brian Bruchey said deputies found two men dead and one woman injured at a Polk City home Saturday evening.

Bruchey said Carolyn Stipe of Danville, Kentucky, identified the shooter as her husband, Rickie Gene Stipe, 68.

Stipe told deputies her husband shot their nephew, James Hanks, 65, and Hanks' wife, Kathleen Hanks, 59, before shooting himself.

According to Bruchey's statement, Stipe said her husband refused treatment for schizophrenia. She told authorities her husband had been upset throughout the day, and he shot the other couple after James Hanks confronted him.

Bruchey said Kathleen Hanks was hospitalized with a gunshot wound, and Stipe was hospitalized with chest pains.

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