Melanie Eversley, William M. Welch and Donna Leinwand

USA TODAY

A grandfather in Bell, Fla., fatally shot his daughter and her six children before killing himself, an official in Gilchrist County, Fla., said during a press conference Thursday night.

Don Charles Spirit, 51, of Bell, a small community southeast of Tallahassee, contacted officials via 911 and said he was considering doing harm to himself and others. When law enforcement arrived at the home Spirit shared with his family at about 4 p.m. Thursday, they found his six grandchildren, ages 3 months to 11, all dead, as well as his daughter, Gilchrist County Sheriff Robert Schultz told reporters.

Schultz identified Spirits's daughter as Sarah Spirit, and the children who died as Kylie Kuhlmann, 9, Kaleb Kuhlmann, 11, Johnathon Kuhlmann, 8, Destiny Stewart, 5, Alanna Stewart, born June 28 of this year, and Brandon Stewart, 4.

Deputies communicated with Spirit, who killed himself while they were there, Schultz said.

Schultz said Spirit does have a criminal history, though he did not elaborate, and he said that law enforcement had been called to the residence in the past. Other family members also lived at the residence, but Schultz did not specify how many or whom.

This is not the first time that Spirit has allegedly harmed his family with firearms.

Media reports indicate that Spirit accidentally shot and killed an 8-year-old son, Kyle, during a hunting trip to Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area near Kenansville, Fla., on Nov. 14, 2001. During a walk through the woods, Spirit pointed out some rust on the muzzle of a gun and it fired, hitting Kyle in the head, officials said. He was sentenced to three years in prison for illegal possession of a firearm. Spirit pleaded guilty in exchange for a minimum sentence just as his trial was about to begin. After that incident, the family moved from Tampa to Bell, according to published reports.

In 1998, Spirit was convicted of felony possession of marijuana, according to published reports. It is illegal for felons to own guns in Florida.

James Bell, a friend of Sarah Spirit, described her as "a beautiful, smart woman" who "moved from Tampa to Bell to help her dad out."

Bell, 36, of Perry, Fla., did not specify what kind of help Don Spirit needed.

Public schools in the Bell area were preparing a response for children attending classes Friday morning, the sheriff said.

"We're all family here," Schultz said. "There are certain things in life you can explain; there are certain things you can't. This is one of those things that I can't explain."

Schultz added that Bell and the surrounding community is close-knit and people would pull together.

"We'll get through this," he said. "I will continue to ask everybody to pray for the families."

Earlier, Florida Department of Law Enforcement spokeswoman Samantha Andrews confirmed the agency was investigating the shootings and that the incident appeared to be a murder-suicide.

"At this point, FDLE is investigating at the request of the Gilchrist County sheriff," Andrews said. "It appears to be a murder-suicide. There is no danger to the community. It was at a private residence there at Bell.''

Bell is one of two communities in Gilchrist County, Fla., and is about 120 miles southeast of Tallahassee, the state capitol. It has about 450 residents, according to the Census Bureau.

Contributing: Rachel Axon in Gainesville, Fla., and Mary Byrne in McLean, Va.