Pregnant woman, unborn child killed in apparent double murder-suicide, sheriff says
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A pregnant woman and her unborn child were killed after a man shot them, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said.
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According to a news release, the suspect, a 26-year-old man, shot the 21-year-old victim multiple times before shooting and killing himself.
Sheriff Grady Judd said the woman was eight months pregnant.
Investigators said the shooting happened just after 7 p.m. Friday near their home on Central Avenue West in Winter Haven, in front of witnesses.
Deputies said that based on this stage in the investigation, it was a domestic-related double murder-suicide.
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The suspect, identified as Riley Groover, was previously charged with aggravated assault and domestic violence, the sheriff’s office said.
Several neighbors said they saw it all happen.
Next-door neighbor Eunice Selph said she heard Groover screaming at his pregnant girlfriend, “I’m going to kill you. I’m going to kill you.”
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Those are the last words Selph said she heard before, deputies said, Groover shot his pregnant girlfriend multiple times, then himself.
Witnesses, including Selph, said they saw the 21-year-old woman run outside to get away from Groover when he pulled the gun on her.
“I couldn’t erase it out of my mind. I’m just not used to something like that,” Selph said.
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Court documents show this isn’t his first time Groover committed domestic violence.
Back in 2014, deputies said Groover “openly stated that he wantonly and maliciously shot five BB pellets through someone’s window.”
According to the documents, “Groover also admitted for over a year he repeatedly harassed the victim via text and phone calls after the victim asked him to stop.”
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According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, at that time Groover was charged with stalking, battery, and for shooting into that home.
Two years later, deputies arrested him again for domestic violence after he broke a bottle on the kitchen floor. Documents reveal Groover used a hatchet to break several doors inside a home causing a 75-year-old family member to fear for her life.
That victim called 911.
Documents show victim, “began swinging a broom at Groover to defend herself. Deputies said, Groover dropped the weapon and grabbed the upper right arm of the victim “and scratched her.
In a 2018 incident, Groover was also accused of getting into a fight with another family member over household chores and the family wi-fi router being shut off.”
In that instance a witness said Groover drove his car through the victim’s front yard, and nearly hit her then got out armed with a knife.
The victim told deputies Groover chased her into the bedroom and stabbed her in the stomach.
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In Friday night’s horrific incident, family members told investigators that Groover and the woman had physical arguments before. But none of the incidents were reported to law enforcement.
The Sheriff’s Office said first responders and medical staff at the hospital tried to save the unborn baby but were unable to do so.
“This was a violent and horrific double murder that ended the lives of a 21-year-old woman who was eight months pregnant and her unborn baby,” Sheriff Grady Judd said. “When the suspect became enraged, family members and neighbors did everything they could to help her get away from him. Please keep this family in your prayers.”
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