On May 2, 2023, Marlene Pizarro, 40, was killed with her three children in a quadruple shooting at the Sunrise Park apartment complex in Lake Wales, Florida. Police were called about 8:50 p.m. and found all four victims with apparent gunshot wounds. Reports identify the suspect as 38-year-old Al Joseph Stenson, described as Pizarro’s boyfriend.

Stenson reportedly shot Pizarro and the children, ages 21, 17, and 11, early that same morning and then fled to a motel in Sanford. A multi-agency response located him there and an hours-long standoff involving crisis negotiators and SWAT ended when officers fatally shot Stenson after he went for a gun on the ground.

Pizarro taught special education at Lake Wales High School and also worked as an entrepreneur and birth doula; colleagues and a former professor remembered her commitment to students. The community held a vigil outside the apartment complex and grief counselors were made available at the high school.