Family man kills son, self, police say
Friends: No warning signs for shootings
BY HECTOR FLORIN AND WANDA J. DeMARZO
[email protected] The one thing that friends and co-workers agree on about Carl Dennis Mackey: he lived for his wife and 12-year-old son. He socialized little with co-workers, didn't have much time for neighbors and held Bible classes in his living room. What family and friends cannot understand is what happened in his southwest Fort Lauderdale home early Monday morning. When police entered the home, they found the body of his son Brian -- a bright student who would have been headed to Driftwood Middle School Monday -- in his bedroom. Police found Mackey's body crumpled nearby. Both had been shot with a small-caliber semiautomatic handgun. Police are calling it a murder-suicide. News of the shooting stunned and saddened friends, family and colleagues. Dozens of family members gathered outside the Mackey home at 2732 SW Eighth St. ''He should have been in school today,'' sobbed one of the youngster's aunts. ``That little boy was so smart and good. He was a good boy.'' Family members described Brian as a quiet boy who loved playing Pokémon on his Nintendo GameBoy. He didn't play much with the children in the neighborhood, preferring the company of his parents. He was in the gifted program at Virginia Schuman Young Elementary School. He and his father were very close, said Mike Scott, assistant director of Plantation's Public Works Department, where Mackey worked for 15 years. He had just received his 15-year pin in May. Mackey encouraged his youngest son to play the piano. When Brian played well, the father and son would celebrate together. But for the past few months, problems brewed in the home. ''Mrs. Mackey said the marriage had been troubled,'' Fort Lauderdale Detective Jack DiCristofalo said. ``But there was no indication that this would happen. I don't think anyone will really know why he did it.'' The tragedy unfolded around 12:40 a.m. when a neighbor across from the Mackeys called police on an unrelated matter. While police were handling that call, Lora Mackey ran across the street screaming that her husband was threatening her with a gun. She said she saw her husband heading toward Brian's room, then heard two shots. After numerous unsuccessful attempts to reach Mackey, Fort Lauderdale SWAT team members entered the home. They found the bodies of the father and son. ''It makes no sense whatsoever,'' said Tony Dacosta, a member of the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, where Mackey attended services. ``It's ironic, because this is the kind of person you can go to and be counseled about relationships. It just seems so out of character, it's mind-boggling.'' Michael Scott, Plantation's assistant director of public works, expressed shock upon learning of the shooting: ''He wasn't that kind of person, as a supervisor he could be strict or stern, but was always understanding and fair,'' Scott said. ``He loved that little boy and took him everywhere.'' Mackey's religious beliefs strengthened in the past few years, his son Tim Mackey said. He held biweekly Bible classes at home with members of the Kingdom Hall. ''There were no clues,'' said Dacosta, who knew Carl Mackey for seven years. ``He's a strong, spiritual person. He's a dependable, loving father.'' Mackey, 41, joined the city of Plantation as a maintainence worker in May 1988. He moved up the ranks, earning two promotions before becoming a maintainence supervisor. Tim Mackey, 22, followed in his father's footsteps two years ago and got a job in Plantation city maintenance. On Monday, a dazed Tim Mackey sat in front of his grandmother's Fort Lauderdale home and reflected on his dad: ``He was a tough guy. A church guy. By tough, he preached morals, hard work.'' Plantation's Public Works Department is accepting donations for the Mackey family. Send to Plantation Public Works, 750 NW 91st Ave., Plantation, FL 33324 or call 954-452-2535. | 
Mackey, 41, and his 12-year-old son Brian were fatally shot. Fort Lauderdale police think Dennis killed his son, then shot himself. 
