PLANT CITY, Fla. — The man accused of intentionally setting fire to a Plant City home early Wednesday morning that killed four people said he "did not want to kill anyone, but did want to scare them," according to officials.
The Hillsborough County Fire Rescue (HCFR) said firefighters arrived at the home on South County Line Road around 12:09 a.m. HCFR received a 911 call from the homeowner, who was inside the home and reported the smoke and flames. The homeowner also told them that four adults and five dogs were inside.
Within five minutes of arriving, fire crews found three victims and removed them through a bedroom window. The fourth victim was located later. All four victims — 70-year-old Judy Foster, 25-year-old Jessica Bowman, 30-year-old Chase Bowman, and 48-year-old Joseph Clites — died at the scene. Four dog also died as a result of the blaze.
During an investigation, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said detectives learned that Shawn Gossett, 25, started the fire inside the house in which he lived with the intention of burning it down.
An affidavit explained that Gossett no longer wanted to live at the house because Foster was his payee for his disability checks and thought setting a fire would ensure he could go back to his father's home. He reportedly thought about setting the fire all day but did not want to kill anyone, only scare them.
The affidavit states that Gossett lit a paper towel on fire then put it on the floor near a box to catch it on fire, allowing it to spread. Officials said Gossett did not try extinguishing the fire and waited for it to spread before alerting everyone else.
Gossett was arrested and charged with four counts of murder in the first degree while engaged in arson, three counts of aggravated cruelty to animals, and one count of arson of a dwelling.
This deadly fire still seems unreal to Corissa Phelps.
“The night that I found out it happened, I mean, I just sat there and — it’s hard to process. It’s very hard to process," she said.
She described Chase Bowman, her cousin, as a fighter who overcame leukemia as a child.
"He always had a great disposition. He was always happy, you know, despite what his little body had to go through," she said. “For everyone that loved Chase and that loved Judy and Joe and Jessica, we could use all the prayers that we can get right now.”
Thursday, she started a GoFundMe to help pay for funeral expenses. You can find the fundraiser at this link.
"They need to be aware that they’re putting families at risk”
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