A Florida man has been charged with murder and arson after he admitted to intentionally igniting a fire that killed four people and three dogs.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office was alerted shortly after 12 a.m. Wednesday of a potential fire on South County Line Road in Plant City, part of the Tampa Bay area.
As firefighters extinguished the flames in the mobile home, they found four deceased adults inside, the sheriff’s office said. The victims have not been identified yet, pending the medical examiner results for manner and cause of death and next of kin notification.
Detectives later learned that Shawn Gossett, 25, who lived in the home, started the fire “with the intent to burn the house down,” officials said.
He was arrested and charged with four counts of first degree murder while engaged in arson, three counts of aggravated cruelty to animals and one count of arson of a dwelling. Online court records show he is being represented by a public defender.
It’s not clear what motive he had for setting the blaze.
“The details of why and his motive are still being worked out,” Chief Deputy Joseph Maurer said in a news conference.
Gossett was friends with the family that lived in the home, but the extent of the relationship he had with them is still under investigation.
Gossett was found near the property and cooperated with detectives.
In the interview with authorities, Gossett said he used a Bic lighter to ignite some paper towels.
He did not suffer any injuries from the fire, Maurer said, noting it’s not clear if he had any mental illness.
“This is an utterly senseless and horrific crime where four innocent lives were tragically taken due to the evil actions of this man,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement.
“I want to commend our detectives and our partners at Hillsborough County Fire Rescue for their swift actions which resulted in the arrest of this individual and their relentless efforts to ensure justice is served,” he added.
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