On June 5, 2024, a tragic incident occurred in Sarasota, Florida, where two individuals were found dead inside a home. The victims were identified as 44-year-old Tesse Kofahl and 57-year-old Robert Joseph Harrison, Jr. Deputies from the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office arrived at the residence, located in the 1600 block of Stickney Point Road, around 8:57 p.m. following a report.
Upon entering the home, deputies found both Kofahl and Harrison deceased from gunshot wounds.
The Sarasota County Fire Department also responded to the scene and pronounced the victims dead. The incident is being investigated as an apparent murder-suicide.
A neighbor, Allen Raden, witnessed the intense police response as he was returning home. He described seeing multiple sheriff's office vehicles and ambulances, and observed deputies surrounding the door with their guns drawn, some armed with rifles and using shields for protection. Raden's daughter captured cellphone video showing deputies shouting for whoever was inside to come out, but ultimately, they found the victims already dead.
The sheriff's office has emphasized that the shooting was an isolated incident and did not pose a threat to the public. Despite this incident and several other shootings in the county over the past couple of months, the community is described as quiet and friendly. According to Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Russell Vega, there have been eight homicides in Sarasota County so far in 2024, following 11 in 2023 and 19 in 2022.
The investigation into the deaths of Tesse Kofahl and Robert Joseph Harrison, Jr. is ongoing, but no additional details have been released by the sheriff's office at this time. The community, while shaken, remains confident in its safety, with residents acknowledging that such incidents can occur anywhere and at any time.
