Triple Murder Suspect Arrested in Florida
Police say Andres Avalos was taken into custody without incident.
— -- A Florida man wanted in the killing of his wife, a family friend and a pastor was arrested today at a mobile home park, police said.
Andres Avalos, 33, was taken into custody without incident and charged with murder, police said.
Police say Avalos killed his wife, Amber, 33, and family friend Denis Potter, 45, at the family's Bradenton home Thursday before going to Bayshore Baptist Church, where he killed the pastor, James "Tripp" Battle.
Church members said the pastor's wife was at the church when the shooting occurred, and she told police about the other two victims, The Associated Press reported. It wasn't clear how she knew Amber Avalos and Potter had been killed.
"We don't know exactly what transpired," sheriff's spokesman Dave Bristow said.
The Avaloses' six children, ages 3 to 14, were at school when officers found out about the shootings and the schools were put on lockdown for fear that Avalos would attempt to pick them up. Deputies said the children were now in the custody of a relative.
According to the AP, the Battles have two children, ages 3 and 5, and Potter also had two children.
"Those children. That's the tragedy," said Elwin "Karp" Carpenter, a 77-year-old church deacon.
Avalos has a criminal record, including DUI arrests, traffic offenses and a fight during which he was shot in the arm, according to the AP. Criminal records also show that he was arrested on a weapon possession charge but was not prosecuted, the AP reported.
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