1 dead, 5 critically injured in 'horrific' Sanford shooting, police say

Allen D. Cashe in custody; Winter Springs High student shot at bus stop

SANFORD, Fla. – A man was taken into custody Monday morning after a woman was killed and five others, including two children and a Winter Springs High School student, were critically injured in two shooting incidents described by police as "horrific," according to a report from WKMG.

Sanford police said Allen D. Cashe was arrested in connection with the shootings, which were reported around 6:15 a.m. on Hays Drive and West 24th Street, a few blocks south of Goldsboro Elementary School.

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Sanford police said Cashe, who had a relationship with the woman, opened fire at her home, killing her and wounding her father and her boys, ages 7 and 8.

Family members said the slain mother is Tina Herring and the two boys are Brendan and Brandon Christian. The boys were still in a hospital but out of the intensive care unit as of 1 p.m., family said.

Authorities have not officially released the victims' names.

The children were airlifted to Arnold Palmer Hospital in Orlando and remain in critical condition. Their grandfather was taken to Central Florida Regional Hospital with critical injuries, police said.

Neighbor Arlene Bush said she heard about 12 gunshots, which made her think the shooter was going from room to room firing the gun.

"Excessive amount of blood everywhere," Bush said. "I can't even believe (the grandfather) made it out of the house as bad as he was."

She and other neighbors were shocked to hear news of the shooting.

Police said Cashe and the woman got into an argument at a gas station over some physical property, and an officer was called to the scene. Police said the officer calmed them down, and the two went their separate ways.

Police said a 911 call from a third party asked police to check on Herring, so the same officer went to the woman's home, where he found her in another argument with Cashe.

Herring gave the officer a bag of Cashe's belongings that included a gun, police said. It's not known, however, if the officer immediately knew that a gun was in the bag.

In a second 911 call, the same caller said that Cashe might have a gun, but the officer was already at the scene, police said. Cashe returned a short time later and shot the family, police said.

"I can't stress enough that this scene is one of the worst that our officers and investigators have ever responded to," Sanford spokeswoman Bianca Gillett said. "It's horrific."

Cashe then drove to West 24th Street near Marshall Avenue and shot two innocent bystanders, both of whom were taken to Central Florida Regional Hospital, police said. They are in stable condition, police said.

One of the victims attends Winter Springs High School, police said.

Dominique Smith, another student who was at the bus stop, said the gunman stopped and said, "I'm sorry, but ya'll are gonna' die," before he fired about 10 shots.

Smith said she ran to a nearby house and a neighbor let her inside.

"I was scared. I was panicking. I was crying. I just didn't know what to do. I just wanted my momma and my dad at the time," she said.

"I am saddened to hear of the domestic violence related shooting that took place in Sanford. It appears that three of the victims attend Seminole County Schools and we are working with both the Sanford Police Department and Seminole County Sheriff’s Office to determine the students’ names and schools," said Walt Griffin, superintendent of Seminole County Public Schools. "Grief counselors will be available at all affected schools on Tuesday. Our hearts go out to the families of these young and innocent children."

Police said an officer who happened to be in the area heard the gunshots and spotted a man driving from the scene. The man, later identified as Cashe, was taken into custody at the Seminole Garden Apartments, and a firearm was recovered, police said.

"It's horrific. We are just thankful that we immediately came into contact with this person and took him off the streets before anyone else was injured or possibly lost their life this morning." Gillet said.

Cashe faces multiple charges.

Cashe is a convicted felon who is currently on probation, state records show. He has faced several violent charges in the past, including domestic violence.

In one incident in 2013, the victim said Cashe punched her in the face several times and slammed her into a car, according to a report.

Four women in Seminole County have filed domestic violence injunctions against Cashe since 2005, court records show.

He's also been accused, all in separate incidents within the past seven years, of backhanding a woman, punching a man, smashing the windows of a car with a baseball bat, and pointing a gun at two people while telling them "If I weren't on county GPS I would pull the trigger and kill both of you," records show.

A police investigation into Monday's shootings is ongoing.


About the Author:

Daniel started with WKMG-TV in 2000 and became the digital content manager in 2009. When he's not working on ClickOrlando.com, Daniel likes to head to the beach or find a sporting event nearby.