An 84-year-old mother and her 63-year-old daughter were found dead inside their Long Beach home Friday morning, and hours later, the woman’s son and the younger woman’s brother was shot by deputies in Florida while authorities attempted to take him into custody. Police identified the suspect as Richard Timothy Ward, who is now at the center of an investigation spanning two states.
The two women were identified as Doris Crimmins, 84, and Kimberly Hernandez, 63, both residents of Long Beach, Mississippi. Their bodies were discovered inside their home on Lantana Boulevard after police received a report of a shooting. Officers arrived at approximately 10:15 a.m. Friday, November 13, and found both women dead.
Harrison County Coroner Brian Switzer said Crimmins owned the home and had been receiving hospice care for cardiac issues. Her death initially appeared to be from natural causes, although an autopsy was planned to establish the exact cause. Hernandez, her daughter, also lived in the home with her.
Unlike her mother’s death, Hernandez’s death is being investigated as a homicide. Authorities had not announced a confirmed cause of death for Crimmins, and both women were scheduled to undergo autopsies on Tuesday.
Investigators soon identified Ward as a suspect. According to authorities, he was Crimmins’ son and Hernandez’s brother. Police also located a vehicle believed to be connected to the case. That discovery helped investigators track Ward and the vehicle to Pensacola, Florida.
The search led authorities to a motel in Escambia County. At approximately 2:15 p.m. Friday, deputies with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and officers with the Florida Highway Patrol went to the area after receiving information that a homicide suspect was staying nearby.
Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons said deputies made contact with Ward, who pulled out a firearm. Officers repeatedly ordered him to put the weapon away, but he allegedly fired at them. Three deputies returned fire, striking Ward.
Ward was taken to a local hospital for treatment. Authorities said none of the deputies was injured during the exchange of gunfire. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has taken over the investigation into the deputy-involved shooting.
Back in Mississippi, Long Beach police continued investigating the deaths inside the Lantana Boulevard home. Police Chief Billy Seal said investigators believe the incident was domestic-related. Authorities have not announced any additional arrests or final findings about what happened inside the home.
For Crimmins and Hernandez’s loved ones, the case has left two family deaths at the center of a single investigation. Their deaths remain under examination as authorities work to establish exactly what happened before police arrived at the home.