8-Year-Old Girl Dies On Christmas Days After Coast Guard Officer Dad Kills Mom And Brother, Authorities Say

An 8-year-old Florida girl passed away on Christmas Day — more than a week after incurring injuries during her father's brutal suicidal shooting rampage, which also claimed the lives of her mother and brother.

McKenna Presnar was officially pronounced dead on December 25. She had been seriously wounded when her father, U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer John Stanley Presnar, opened fire on the entire family during an argument with his wife in the early morning of December 16. John took the lives of his partner, Gretchen Presnar, 39, and their 7-year-old son, John Jr, before turning the gun on himself. The killing is now considered a triple murder-suicide.

“When the subject started shooting, his wife told her mother to run out of the house and call for help,” Miami-Dade police said at the time, according to The Sun-Sentinel, a Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based news organization.

When police arrived, they found the wounded girl amidst the bodies inside the Homestead, Florida home. She was rushed to the Nicklaus Children's Hospital immediately but ultimately succumbed to injuries early on Tuesday morning.

Miami-Dade Police Director Juan Perez expressed his sorrow over the incident.

“This incident is a tragedy that impacts an entire community," Perez said to The Miami Herald. "We all mourn when these tragic events occur ... We know domestic violence is difficult to prevent. As a community, we need to raise awareness to encourage families in need to seek assistance.”

The Coast Guard says Presnar had served since 2001 as an electronics technician. He was 44 years old at the time of his death.

[Photo: John Stanley Presnar (left) via US Coast Guard]

The Associated Press contributed to this report.