By Le Floridien
PEMBROKE PARK, FL — A heart-wrenching act of domestic violence shook the Pembroke Park community last week, leaving four innocent lives lost and a young girl fighting to survive.
Authorities say 34-year-old Stephen McKenzie fatally shot his estranged girlfriend, Julie Cruz, 32, and three of her children—11-year-old Xion Solomon, and twin 2-year-old sons Nova and Emery McKenzie—before turning the gun on himself. An 8-year-old girl, Phiinyx Solomon, was also critically injured but survived the shooting.
McKenzie succumbed to his self-inflicted injuries on Thursday at the hospital, officials from the Broward Sheriff’s Office confirmed on Monday. The massacre unfolded just after 8 p.m. Wednesday night inside an apartment at 3181 W. Hallandale Beach Boulevard, a quiet complex now forever marked by tragedy.
Cruz, a devoted mother of four, was reportedly planning to leave McKenzie and move out by the weekend. Her mother, Irma Denisse, told NBC’s Telemundo that Julie had confided in her about the troubled relationship. “I asked her many times to leave him and come home,” Denisse said in Spanish, “but she said the children wanted him.”
The motive behind the shooting remains under investigation.
A Child Hero Remembered
Among the victims was Xion Solomon, remembered by his father, Kelvin Solomon, as a protector and a hero. “He died protecting his mother and his sister,” Solomon said. “He was a hero and I want everyone to know he was a hero.”
Kelvin Solomon, who shared two children—Xion and Phiinix—with Cruz, stood outside Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood on Friday, where his daughter remained in critical condition.
Phiinix, despite enduring immense trauma and being struck by bullets three times—twice in the chest and once in the leg—has shown signs of improvement. “She’s doing better,” her father said.
Their grandmother, Rita Hanson, fought back tears as she stood at the hospital. “I have one in there fighting and one I have to bury,” she said, a devastating expression of the unbearable grief engulfing the family.
A Family in Pain, a Community in Mourning
The murders have sent shockwaves through the community, prompting calls for greater awareness around domestic violence. While McKenzie had no known criminal record, Cruz’s family says the relationship had grown increasingly unstable.
Solomon, who admitted he had sensed problems at home, urged other families to act when something feels wrong. “If you can act when you get that feeling, you should,” he said. “You should try everything to make an impact in protecting your children in situations.”
Cruz and McKenzie shared custody of the twin toddlers, Nova and Emery. Xion and Phiinix were Cruz’s children from her previous relationship with Solomon. All of them were inside the apartment when the violence erupted.
For now, a family clings to hope for Phiinix’s recovery while grappling with the crushing reality of burying her siblings and mother. The Broward Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate the case on behalf of Pembroke Park police.
A Plea for Awareness
As details continue to emerge, loved ones are speaking out in hopes that this tragedy might serve as a painful reminder of the dangers of unchecked domestic conflict. “Domestic violence is definitely a scary thing,” Solomon said. “You have to save your kids. If you don’t think about yourself, think about your children.”
A GoFundMe or memorial page has not yet been announced, but many in the community are already asking how they can help support the surviving child and the grieving family.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or text “START” to 88788. Help is available 24/7, free and confidential.
Photo credti NBCMIAMI
