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Gilchrist shooting: Father 'accidentally' killed son, 8, on 2001 hunting trip

Donald Spirit shot and killed his 8-year-old son on a hunting trip in 2001.

By Gabrielle Levy

BELL, Fla., Sept. 19 (UPI) -- Investigators Friday are learning more about the Florida man who shot his daughter and six grandchildren before turning the gun on himself.

Authorities say Donald Spirit, 51, shot and killed his 8-year-old son in 2001 during a hunting trip in Osceola County. He spent three years in prison, starting in 2003, for the fatal incident.

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According to the Florida Department of Corrections, Spirit was pointing out rust on the muzzle of his rifle when the gun went off, striking his son Kyle in the head on Nov. 14, 2001.

Spirit put Kyle in the back of his pickup and drove him to his campsite, where he got help. He pleaded guilty to charge of a possession of a firearm by a convicted felon -- he had a previous drug conviction -- and was given the minimum sentence.

Spirit called police himself after killing members of his family around 4 p.m. Thursday, then committed suicide after deputies arrived.

Before the trial on Kyle's killing, Spirit told the Orlando Sentinel he was having trouble coping with his son's death and had been in a mental health facility and taken medication for treatment.

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"The medication, I've tried it. It ain't working," Spirit said in a 2003 interview. "The one medicine I have is my family."

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