Fla. Mom and Her 4-Year-Old Son Killed by Ex in Broad Daylight Murder-Suicide in Front of Bank

Odalys Bancroft was "beacon of kindness and love," a GoFundMe page in her and her son's honor reads

A Florida man fatally shot his ex-girlfriend and her 4-year-old son in broad daylight outside a bank before turning the gun on himself.

On Friday, June 7, Odalys Maria Bancroft, 43, was driving a minivan carrying her 4-year-old son, Theodore Couto, when she stopped at a drive-thru ATM at Chase Bank in West Kendall around 7:37 a.m., Miami-Dade police said in a press release shared with PEOPLE.

Moments later, police say a man pulled up in a vehicle next to hers and opened fire towards the minivan. The man, later identified as Bancroft’s 41-year-old ex-boyfriend, Michael Andres Pineda Lozano, then turned the gun on himself and died by suicide, according to the release.

A Miami-Dade police sergeant driving in the area at the time responded to the scene after hearing gunshots, police said. He reportedly arrived to find the woman and child dead inside the minivan and the man dead on the passenger side of the van.

Police said the 4-year-old boy was Bancroft’s son and had no relation to the shooter.

According to her LinkedIn profile, Bancroft most recently worked as the director of regulatory affairs with the Jackson Health System. Her profile also states she graduated with a master’s degree in nursing from the University of Central Florida in 2022.

Bancroft was an employee at the hospital system since 2015 and was an accomplished nurse, according to a company statement obtained by the Miami-Herald.

“Odalys has been a valued member of our team, known for her unwavering dedication, kindness, and exceptional talent,” Jackson Health President and CEO Carlos Migoya said in the statement, per the outlet.

Theodore's aunt said the family celebrated his pre-K graduation just days before the murders. “They didn’t deserve to die like this,” the aunt, who requested anonymity, told WSVN.

A GoFundMe campaign has been created to help support the family with funeral expenses.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

“Odalys' family is profoundly devastated by the sudden loss of her and her beloved son, Theodore,” fundraiser organizer, Olga Kovtoun, wrote.

“She was a beacon of kindness and love, and those fortunate enough to know her will remember her as a remarkable woman and devoted mother. Their lives are forever changed by this heartbreaking tragedy.”

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.