It's wonderful when family gets together for Thanksgiving, unless one
family member is completely imbalanced and has access to very
efficient weapons...


JUPITER, Fla. -- Authorities in Florida were searching Saturday for a
man police said opened fire on his family after Thanksgiving dinner
and killed four people, including his pregnant sister and a 6-year-old
cousin who was sleeping in her bed.

There had been "ongoing resentment" in the family, but investigators
weren't sure what specifically prompted the shooting, officials said.
Police were looking for Paul Michael Merhige, 35, of Miami. He was
believed to be driving a royal blue 2007 Toyota Camry with a rear
spoiler and Florida license plate.

Authorities in Michigan, including the Birmingham Police Department,
were alerted of the search because Merhige had sought help from a
Detroit-area physician in the past year, Jupiter Police Sgt. Scott
Pascarella said. He did not know why Merhige had contacted a physician
there.

Merhige is also accused of gunning down his pregnant sister's twin and
his 79-year-old aunt.

"What led to this incident, we're not quite sure," Pascarella said.
"It did not appear there was any altercation prior to this shooting."

Pascarella said Merhige left briefly before returning to the home
where 17 relatives had gathered in Jupiter, a small beach town about
90 miles north of Miami. The town is known as a home to celebrities
including Michael Jordan and Burt Reynolds.

Pascarella said police first received a 911 call from a neighbor, then
another from someone inside the home. The residence, in a well-kept
new subdivision with brick-paved driveways, is owned by local TV
videojournalist Jim Sitton and his wife. The home was surrounded
Friday by yellow crime scene tape and police crime unit vans.

Sitton recounted the shooting to WPTV:

When asked about the alleged gunman Sitton said, "I haven't seen him
in like 15 years, he had his issues in the past and when I heard 'Oh
Paul's coming,' I thought 'Okay, I haven't heard any bad stuff in 5 or
10 years,' and I thought 'maybe he's getting better,' and a red flag
did not go off. He sat two people down from me I talked to him, there
were no red flags he wasn't moody, it was just completely out of the
blue. The way I understand it he is evil and darkness hates the light
and he saw the light from the twins singing Via Dolorosa and we were
praising God and thanking God for Thanksgiving and my little girl was
preaching."

"I learned yesterday that... Paul told my father-in-law 'I've been
waiting 18 years to do this, or 20 years to do this.' He meant he's
been waiting 20 years to to kill his family."

Sitton's daughter Makayla had gone to bed before the rampage, police
said.

"God packed a lot of sweetness into that little body," Sitton said.
"She's just our life. I don't know how we are ever going to recover."

Sitton told local media that his daughter was supposed to perform in a
holiday production of "The Nutcracker." The Florida Classical Ballet
Theatre had two shows Friday.

"Makayla was part of our family, and as one of the youngest dancers,
she was to be one of Mother Ginger's Children," artistic director
Colleen Smith said. "She was a beautiful, dear girl. She was a beam."

The other victims were Merhige's twin sisters, Carla Merhige and Lisa
Knight, and an aunt, Raymonde Joseph. Merhige's brother-in-law Patrick
Knight was in critical but stable condition at a local hospital.
Another man, Clifford Gebara, 52, was grazed by a bullet.

Carla Merhige was a real estate agent in Miami.

"She was a wonderful agent," said Joanna Sherman, a manager at
Coldwell Banker Residential real estate. "She was very active in the
community and in charities. She was just a genuine, beautiful
individual. She always had a smile for everybody."

Neighbors in the Palm Beach County community were shocked as police
processed the home.

"Our kids walk the streets by themselves," said Nicole Kemp, 67, who
did not know any of the victims. "I thought it was the safest place to
live. I guess it doesn't matter, if there's a maniac here."

___

Associated Press writers Suzette Laboy, Sarah Larimer and Tamara Lush
in Miami contributed to this report.