Published: Saturday November 28, 2009 MYT 8:45:00 AM
Man guns down family at Thanksgiving
JUPITER, Florida: A man opened fire on his family after Thanksgiving dinner, killing his pregnant sister, 6-year-old cousin and two other relatives before speeding off and initiating a statewide manhunt, police said on Friday.
Police were still searching on Friday evening for the suspect, Paul Michael Merhige, 35.
He is also accused of gunning down his pregnant sister's twin and his 79-year-old aunt after the holiday dinner on Thursday night.
Jupiter Police Sgt. Scott Pascarella said there had been an "ongoing resentment" in the family, but did not elaborate.
"What led to this incident, we're not quite sure," Pascarella said. "It did not appear there was any altercation prior to this shooting."
Pascarella said Merhige left briefly before returning to the gathering with a handgun.
Seventeen relatives had gathered in Jupiter, a small beach town about 90 miles (145 kilometers) north of Miami best known as a home to celebrities including Michael Jordan and Burt Reynolds.
Police spokeswoman Sally Collins-Ortiz said the city had never experienced a slaying with so many victims.
The department enlisted the U.S. Marshals in the search for Merhige, who police said had no known criminal past.
Pascarella said police first received an emergency call from a neighbor, then another from someone inside the home. The residence, in a well-kept new subdivision with brick-paved driveways, is owned by local TV videojournalist Jim Sitton and his wife. On Friday it was surrounded by yellow crime scene tape and police crime unit vans.
Sitton's daughter Makayla was the young victim. Police say she had gone to bed before the rampage.
Sitton told local media that his daughter was supposed to perform Friday in a holiday production of "The Nutcracker."
"God packed a lot of sweetness into that little body," Sitton said.
"She's just our life. I don't know how we are ever going to recover."
The other victims were Merhige's twin sisters, Carla Merhige and Lisa Knight, and an aunt, Raymonde Joseph. A fifth victim, Merhige's brother-in-law Patrick Knight, was in critical but stable condition at a local hospital. Another man, Clifford Gebara, 52, was grazed by a bullet but suffered no serious injury.
More family members gathered late Friday morning near Miami, declining to talk with reporters. - AP
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