A couple was shot to death early Thursday morning after masked intruders stormed into their home in Bradenton, Fla., according to the Bradenton Herald. None of the five children also in the home at the time was harmed during the attack, which left Esther Deneus, 29, and her boyfriend Kantral Markeith Brooks, 29, dead.
The home surveillance camera captured the events that led up to the killings. In the video, three masked men can be seen at the front door. At one point, one of the men can be seen using an object to bash through the window panel of the door. Another man can be seen putting his hand through the broken glass to unlock the door from inside. All of the men can be seen carrying guns as they enter the home.
According to the newspaper, police received an alert around 3:50 a.m. after the home alarm sounded. Officers arrived on the scene to find the front door broken. Brooks' body was found near the entrance doorway, and Deneus' body was found a few feet behind Brooks' in a hallway. Officers also found the five children—two of whom are reportedly Brooks'—who range in age from 1 to 11.
"We talked to the family and told them these kids, if they saw anything, it's going to be very traumatic for them," Bradenton Police Lt. James Racky told the newspaper. "The kids needs the family's strength, they need to know the family is there for them and they need their support."
Police investigators added that the children would be returned to relatives as soon as they could make sure the children were not in danger.
"I don't see why anyone would do this to them. It's senseless, senseless," Roosevelt Brooks said after hearing that his nephew and Deneus had been killed.
"You don't feel the pain until it hits home," he said. "You see it on TV. I never knew that feeling, but now I know the feeling to lose a family member to a home invasion."
Police are still searching for answers, but they are certain that whatever led to the killings will emerge.
"We also asked the family for any information that will come to them because word of mouth will come around," Racky said. "Whoever came to this house and did this act today, they will be talking about it, somebody knows about it, and the family on scene … somebody is going to hear about it."
Read more at the Bradenton Herald.