Virginia Man Barry Jernigan Kills Wife, Two Children Before Killing Himself

Tragedy struck the quiet neighborhood of Matoaca near Chesterfield County in Virginia after a man shot his wife and two young children to death on Father’s Day. After committing the heinous crime, the man turned the gun on himself. The man has been identified as Barry Jernigan, 35. His wife, 30-year-old wife, Renotta; 9-year-old stepdaughter, Alexis F. Kellas; and 2-year-old son, Seth are the others killed in the carnage. According to The Richmond Times Dispatch, police was called in after gunshots were heard from the family’s residence at around 10 pm on Sunday.

According to Yahoo News, the responding police officers heard the sound of gunfire as they approached the home. Upon reaching the home, they found Renotta and the nine year old girl lying outside, near the front porch of the house. The girl who was alive at that time was rushed to the hospital – but did not survive. Renotta, her other child, two-year-old Seth and husband Barry Jernigan were pronounced dead at the spot.

The scale of the tragedy was clear by morning when people in the neighborhood were seen trying to cope with what had happened overnight.

The Richmond Times Dispatch quotes Jernigan’s next door neighbor Cindy Nguyen;

“It saddens me to think, Father’s Day, of all days; (you) go home and shoot your kids, really?”

According to Cindy, her husband and brother-in-law attempted to revive Renotta Jernigan who after being shot had managed to come out of the front door before collapsing. A nurse who lived in the neighborhood also attempted CPR on the two-year-old kid. Cindy added that while she didn’t know the family closely, they seemed a fine bunch of people and noted that they had moved in around two years ago in the neighborhood. What perplexes Cindy even more is the fact that the man behind the carnage, Barry Jernigan had wished her husband a happy Father’s Day as he walked along the street earlier in the day. She recalls the Jernigans’ youngest kid as a “sweet baby boy” while adding that her son also played with the Jernigans’ nine-year-old girl.

Barry Jernigan’s 67-year-old father was shocked at the turn of events. According to him, he had last spoken to Barry on the day of the incident at around noon he didn’t find anything amiss. He had also wished Barry a happy father’s day.

Talking about the youngest victim, Barry’s father said;

“I don’t know why he took that little baby, that little baby was the world to me. Seems like something you’d seen on TV, you’d never think it would happen personally.”

Police authorities are in the meantime continuing their investigation to ascertain the cause of this gruesome incident.

[Image via Richmond Times Dispatch]