One person is dead and another in the hospital after a shooting ended in a devastating house fire. The incident is still under investigation and as the Suwannee County Sheriff's Office works to determine what happened, a community mourns.
Frank Davis, Pastor of the Melody Christian Center in Live Oak, said "It's a terrible tragedy, our community is very small and close knit and everyone knows one another...when something like this happens it affects the entire community."
Saturday night around 10 PM, Clyde Sperring, former principal of Suwannee High School, called 9-1-1 to report he had been shot and that his house was on fire. Deputies arrived, and along with a family friend, pulled Sperring to safety.
Although he survived, one life was claimed by the fire. A body was found in the home that is presumed to be Clyde Sperring's wife, Beth Sperring.
Authorities have not ruled out the possibility of an attempted murder suicide.
Davis said, "It's a shock you know, you never know about things..."
The church that Davis pastors is right down the road from the Sperring home and he said the small town of Live Oak will come together in support of the family. He said, "We've known the Sperring family for many years, they've been here for generations. They're well known and loved in the community and we just feel terrible about this tragedy. Not just for the community of Live Oak, but for the family members."
Clyde Sperring is being treated at Shands Hospital in Gainesville and is expected to recover. The deputies who rescued him are being treated for smoke inhalation.
The investigation by the Suwannee County Sheriff's Office is still ongoing and we'll bring you more information as this story develops.