Living on a rural dead-end street may feel like a safer area against random violence. However, it wasn’t protection for one Florida family.
Eight people were living in a home on Pine Oaks Lane in Middleburg FL. The home, while close to a freeway, is not near an exit, separated by a frontage road, and is on a dirt road several “Y” intersections from that frontage road. It feels rural and remote.
Even so, Mauricio Vasco Lopez, caused unspeakable horror to the family living there. Lopez and his wife left their home in Jacksonville and drove through the local area of Clay county for several hours. At some point, their car tire was damaged, but Lopez continued driving until the car was disabled, stopping well off the main roads in the 3300 block of Pine Oaks Lane.
Lopez got out of his car, leaving his wife, and into the fenced yard at the home. An 18-year-old male was standing outside, and Lopez forced him into the home at gunpoint. Once inside, Lopez first shot a 21-year-old woman, then shot a 48-year-old man.
Another resident of the home, 39-year-old Samantha Cicone, armed herself with a shotgun. However, Lopez also shot her several times, killing her, before she could use the weapon. A 16-year-old male was able to grab the shotgun, fire two rounds, and critically injure Lopez.
During this time, an 11-year-old was able to hide in a bedroom, and other home residents were able to flee the house and call for help.
Apparently, there is no evidence linking Lopez to this house or its residents.
Sheriff Michelle Cook said, “This case is absolutely horrible and tragic, There was no rhyme or reason… Just pure madness. First, I want to commend the brave 16-year-old who took immensely heroic actions to save the rest of his family. He is going to have to live with this for the rest of his life. As a community, we need to pray for him. We also need to pray for all of the victims involved as they did not deserve this evil.”
Shan: This must have unfolded quickly for the family living at the address. Since deputies arrived about 6:20am, this likely happened in the dark, and before many people are awake. This story does highlighting the importance of firearms familiarity for mature family members within the house. Obviously, each parent needs to assess the maturity of their children. In this case, the 16-year-old apparently knew enough to use the shotgun on Lopez. This case also highlights the importance of having a firearm where it may be quickly accessed when needed. I pray the family finds peace and healing.
This story has multiple sources including WOKV, Action News Jacksonville, and News 4 Jacksonville.
