Florida mother Tonya Thomas kills her 4 children, then herself

A Florida mother shot her four children to death at the family's Port St. John home Tuesday before killing herself, authorities said.

Tonya Thomas, 33, called three of the kids who had sought help from a neighbor back to the house before firing the fatal shots, Lt. Tod Goodyear, a spokesman for the Brevard County Sheriff's Office, told The Associated Press.

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The neighbor then heard gunshots and called 911.

The children were identified as Pebbles Johnson, 17; Jaxs Johnson, 15; Jazlin Johnson, 13; and Joel Johnson, 12; The New York Times reported.

Sheriff's deputies, who arrived within four minutes of the call, heard additional gunshots, Goodyear told the Times. A few minutes later, deputies saw someone who may have been armed with a gun open the front door before going back inside.

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About 30 minutes later, there was a final shot, Goodyear told the Times.

The children’s father, who was separated from the family, had been notified of the deaths, according to MSNBC.

A friend of Thomas told police she texted him during the night saying she wanted to be cremated with her four children. The friend called police after seeing news of the deaths, Goodyear told MSNBC.

The Port St. John shootings were the worst in Brevard County since April 1987, when six people, including two police officers, were killed in a shooting spree., St. Petersburg TV station WTSP reported.