Toddler and mother on way to daycare slain by gunman in horror shooting

A mother and her three-year-old son were killed by a man outside a bank in Florida on Friday in a shooting that police have described as a murder-suicide.

The incident occured near the drive-thru ATM at a Chase branch in Southwest Miami-Dade in the morning time, officials said. An off-duty police sergeant was driving near the Meadows shopping plaza at around 7.40am when he heard gunshots from the area.

He went to check out what was going on and discovered a minivan in the parking lot with a woman, man and young toddler inside. All of them were deceased and the doors were open, officials said. An unidentified SUV was seen next to the vehicle.

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The Miami-Dade Police were called to the scene and held a briefing later that day to update the public. Detective Luis Sierra said that they believe the man was driving the SUV and the woman was driving the minivan.

It is believed that the man pulled up next to the woman's vehicle while she was in line at the ATM and opened fire, killing her and the little boy in the backseat. He then shot himself.

The victims were later named as Odalys Maria Bancroft, 43, and Theodore Couto, 3. The shooter has not yet been identified and his motives are unknown.

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Bancroft's family said that she was on her way to drop her son to daycare at the time. A highly-skilled nurse, she was the director of regulatory affairs for Jackson Health System.

Theodore had just graduated from pre-k. His father's family has started a GoFundMe fundraiser to aid with the funeral costs.

Writing on the page, Jennifer Cuoto said: "There are no words to express the depth of our sorrow. Theodore was a bright light in our lives, and his sudden departure has left us shattered."

The investigation is ongoing.

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