He admits to starting the fire that killed four people and three dogs, so he is now being charged with murder and arson.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office was told about a possible fire on South County Line Road in Plant City, which is in the Tampa Bay area, just after midnight on Wednesday.
The sheriff’s office said that when firefighters put out the fire in the mobile home, they found four people already dead inside. The victims have not been named yet because the medical examiner is still getting information on how and why they died and notifying the next of kin.
Officials said that Shawn Gossett, 25, who lived in the house, started the fire “with the intent to burn the house down.” This was later learned by detectives.
Four counts of first-degree murder while setting a house on fire, three counts of aggravated abuse to animals, and one count of setting a house on fire were brought against him. The court papers that can be found online show that he has a public defender working for him.
It’s not clear why they did it.
“The reasons why and the specifics of his plan are still being worked out,” Chief Deputy Joseph Maurer said at a news conference.
The family that lived in the house was friends with Gossett, but the depth of their friendship is still being looked into.
Gossett was found close to the house and helped the police.
According to the police, Gossett told them that he lit some paper towels on fire with a Bic lighter.
Maurer said that he wasn’t hurt and that it wasn’t clear if he had a mental illness.
He said in a statement, “This is an utterly senseless and horrific crime where four innocent lives were tragically taken due to the evil actions of this man.”
“I want to praise our detectives and our partners at Hillsborough County Fire Rescue for acting quickly to catch this person and for their unwavering dedication to seeing justice done,” he said.
