MIAMI LAKES, Fla. – One by one, people have been paying their respects at the scene of a family tragedy in Miami Lakes.
A small memorial marks the spot where police say 41-year-old Christian Tovar fatally shot his two kids, 9-year-old Matias and 12-year-old Baleria, before taking his own life.
Family members confirmed to Local 10 News that Tovar, who worked at City Bikes in Aventura, stole the gun used in the shooting from a co-worker.
On Friday, Local 10 confirmed that the two siblings attended Hialeah Educational Academy, where students said grief counselors have been made available since the shooting occurred Tuesday night.
“He had some depression and maybe some bipolarity. He didn’t take his pills,” the suspect’s mother, Luz Kuznitz, told Local 10 News.
Miami-Dade police said Tovar shot his children after picking them up earlier in the day.
Tovar’s ex-wife later discovered their lifeless bodies near a lake off Miami Lakes Drive -- a location Tovar’s mother says he would frequently ride his bike past because he enjoyed the serenity of the water.
Neighbors heard the gunshots before running out to help.
But by then, it was too late.
“After I heard her screaming, I just opened the door and I ran,” neighbor Magda Peña said. “My son ran behind me. He didn’t even have shoes. I ran across the grass and when I got there, I saw the lady on top of the little boy. I couldn’t see the dad or the daughter because of the darkness at first.”
Tovar’s mother said she is still trying to process the loss.
“My pain, my deepest pain, because I not only lose my son, my only son, but I also lose my grandchildren,” she said.
Two GoFundMe pages have been created to help the children’s mother during her time of need. They can be found by clicking here, or clicking here.