Sheriff Grady Judd said the suspect was threatening to shoot himself and his wife on her birthday.
A married couple is dead after Polk County deputies responded to a domestic situation that led to shots being fired.
During a news conference Wednesday evening, Sheriff Grady Judd said the agency received a call around 1:30 p.m. from a man who said that his brother was planning to kill his wife on her birthday and then himself.
When deputies arrived to the home, located on Slocumb Road and Kokomo Road in Haines City, they say 41-year-old Adayn Rodriguez pointed a gun at them from the second floor of the balcony. He then proceeded to go back in the house.
Judd said while investigators spent an hour trying to de-escalate the situation, Rodriguez made several calls to 911, including a call to a Polk County deputy he knows personally.
The deputy on the phone reportedly also tried de-escalating the situation, including trying to get Adayn’s wife, Karla Rodriguez, out of the house. However, she refused to leave the home.
Adayn Rodriguez also told the deputy over the phone that he would not feel the pain of killing himself because he “smoked a lot of meth.”
He eventually goes back out to the balcony and points his gun at a deputy again. That’s when an official shot at him once before he went back into the house, Judd said.
When authorities made their way into the house, they reportedly shot Adayn several times, leaving him dead.
Upon further investigation, PCSO also discovered Karla was dead, but say there is no clear indication if she was killed by her husband.
Sheriff Judd did explain that the couple was having problems for the past five years, based on information from a relative.
The two both reportedly have three children together, with Karla having an additional two children of her own.
While Judd said it’s still unclear if Adayn shot his gun at all, he explained that deputies “don’t wait” for someone to shoot at them.
“If you point a gun at us we’re gonna shoot you,” Judd said. “We’re gonna shoot you a lot.”
Judd says both Adayn and Karla Rodriguez have a criminal history. Karla was reportedly arrested for domestic violence last summer against Adayn.
Adayn has previous charges of aggravated assault and domestic violence, but when those incidents took place were not clear.
The investigation into this incident is ongoing. Judd says more updates are expected to be provided as investigators learn more.