Teachers, staff members and students are grieving the deaths of six children who were killed by their grandfather in the small, north Florida city of Bell.



Authorities say 51-year-old Don Spirit killed the children and their mother Thursday afternoon before taking his own life after a Gilchrist County Sheriff's deputy arrived at the home.



Spirit was a former Tampa resident. Bell is about 30 miles west of Gainesville.



Superintendent Rob Rankin says four of the children attended Bell Elementary School, which has 540 students. They were enrolled in kindergarten, second, third and fifth grades. A teacher says she put the children on a bus at 3 p.m. A prayer vigil will be held at Bell Elementary School on Sunday for the youngest victims.



At a football game Friday night between Bell High School and Trenton High School, many wore white in remembrance of the family. The football stadium was almost filled to capacity with people from Gilchrist County who came out to show their support. The marching band played "Amazing Grace."

"It's been a tough 24 hours here," said resident Jay Anderson. "But it's really encouraging to see how many people turned out here, wearing white to show support for the community."

Gilchrist County Sheriff Robert Schultz said deputies found the following victims dead on the property: Kaleb, 11, Kylie, 9 and 8-year-old Johnathon Kuhlmann, as well as Destiny, 5, Brandon, 4, and 3-month-old Alanna Stewart. The mother has been identified as 28-year-old Sarah Lorraine Spirit.



During a news conference on Friday, Schultz said Don Spirit was not a legal gun owner and wasn't on community control at the time of the shootings.



He did not elaborate. The FDLE is assisting the sheriff's office in the investigation.



Spirit has a long list of arrests ranging from a felony possession of marijuana to eventually serving a minimum prison sentence in 2003 for a felony firearms violation.



Schultz said Spirit was the only suspect and that some people were left alive at the home. Schultz also said Spirit had a criminal history. According to the Florida Department of Corrections website, Spirit's arrests ranged from a felony possession of marijuana to eventually serving a minimum prison sentence in 2003 for a felony firearms violation.



Records show Spirit's daughter Sarah unsuccessfully petitioned for a domestic violence injunction against her father in August 2008. That same day a warrant was issued for Spirit on a felony battery charge. He was eventually found guilty.



"We would all like to know why this happened," Schultz said. "But we'd be speculating at this time."

"We ask the community and the people to continue to pray for us here for the families involved and the friends."

It’s a tragic scene that would hit any community hard, especially Bell, with a population of about 350.

So when fruit stand owner Delores Mauldin saw the face of the man accused of murdering his 28-year old daughter, and six grandchildren, then turning the gun on himself Thursday afternoon, she immediately recognized Don Spirit as a regular customer.



“It’s very family oriented everybody draws close together just about everybody knows everybody," said Maudlin.

Governor Rick Scott arrived Friday afternoon, planning to meet with surviving family members.

“We’re going to do everything we can to help this community and put this behind them," Scott said. "All of us as family members can’t imagine this happening to their family.”