PALMETTO BAY, Fla. (WSVN) — A family is struggling to come to terms with a deadly shooting between a father and son in Palmetto Bay.
According to family members who spoke with 7News, 47-year-old David Dylan McPeck struggled with mental illness.
“We’ve seen this coming for years. Tried to get help from the police, from hospitals, from organizations for years. Nothing has helped, nothing has worked. I’m sorry that it has come to this,” the victim’s sister said.
Investigators say Dylan McPeck was fatally shot by his 75-year-old father, David Ronald McPeck, in the family’s Palmetto Bay home, Wednesday.
The call to 911 reporting shots fired went out around 5 p.m.
“The 911 call was some sort of dispute and a male shot,” said Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Detective Argemis Colome.
When deputies arrived to the home near Southwest 168th Street and 92nd Avenue, the 75-year-old was outside of the home while his son was found suffering from a gunshot wound inside.
“The individual that was shot and is deceased on the scene is the son. The shooter was the father, which was detained immediately upon arrival,” said Colome.
Neighbors returning from work in the afternoon found deputies cordoning off the area for their investigation.
“They’re saying a possible shooting,” said a resident who recorded the police activity on their cellphone.
Some residents who knew the family told 7News they were devastated to learn what transpired.
“It’s very sad for us,” said a resident.
“They were caring people,” said a second resident.
The family who lives next door to the McPeck family told 7News they were close to the family and noticed unusual behavior from the 47-year-old.
“They, before yesterday, he was running and screaming very high,” the neighbor said.
According to MDSO, deputies were called out to the home several times in the past. Dylan McPeck also had trouble with the law.
He was previously charged with battery and battery on the elderly.
The most recent case from 2021 was related to an argument with his father, who was listed as the victim in the report.
According to the arrest report, Dylan McPeck physically attacked his father, stating “the defendant then spit on the victim and pushed him onto the ground.”
Dylan McPeck’s sister said her brother’s problems persisted despite all their attempts to help.
“Nothing has helped, nothing has worked,” she said.
She added that the tragic turn of events has caused immense pain for everyone in the family.
“I don’t know what else to say. This is so tragic that it ended this way. I can’t even begin to tell you what this is doing to my family,” she said.
Ronald McPeck was questioned by detectives following the shooting and has since been released.
He is not currently facing any charges.
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