A Palm Coast man shot and killed his wife before turning the gun on himself inside their home on Weyanoke Lane, in what investigators believe was a planned murder-suicide. The Flagler County Sheriff's Office says 55-year-old Rakim-Shakur Brooks killed 47-year-old Dawn Estrella on the evening of Sept. 30 before dying by apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in the garage.
According to the Flagler County Sheriff's Office, the shooting happened at a home in the W-Section of Palm Coast. Deputies found Brooks deceased in the garage with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, while Estrella was found in a bedroom with multiple gunshot wounds. Two other people were inside the home at the time but were not physically harmed, the sheriff's office said.
As reported by WKMG, investigators found a note in Brooks's car indicating he planned to kill his wife, a detail that has shaped the sheriff's office's belief that the attack was premeditated rather than a sudden outburst. Brooks and Estrella had been married since March 2024 but were in the process of separating, according to the sheriff's office.
Conflicting Accounts of the Timeline
Emergency dispatchers in Flagler County received multiple 911 calls at approximately 10:18 p.m., with deputies arriving within five minutes, according to flaglercountybuzz.com. The Flagler County Sheriff's Office said Flagler County Fire Rescue pronounced Estrella deceased at 10:34 p.m.
The residence had generated 14 calls for service since 2021, per flaglerlive.com's reporting. The sheriff's office separately said Brooks had an extensive criminal history, with 17 previous arrests, including four in Flagler County, eight felony convictions, five misdemeanor convictions and six state-prison incarcerations.
Questions Over How a Felon Got a Gun
Detectives are still investigating how Brooks, a convicted felon, obtained the firearm used in the shooting, which was not reported stolen, the sheriff's office said. WKMG reported that investigators identified the weapon as a 9mm SCCY pistol. The question of how Brooks, barred from legally possessing a firearm because of his felony record, came into possession of the gun remains open.
Second Case to Hit Flagler County in Weeks
The Weyanoke Lane shooting was Flagler County's second domestic-violence-related murder-suicide. In the earlier case, Jerome Curry, 34, shot and killed Andrew Yoder, 28, before killing himself at a Bronson Lane home in Palm Coast in late August, according to flaglerlive.com. The sheriff's office said Curry exited that residence and, within seconds, shot himself as deputies approached.
The pattern reflects a broader trend seen elsewhere in Florida. In Duval County, 19 people died in 14 domestic-violence homicides in 2024, up from 13 deaths in 10 homicides the year before, according to Jacksonville Today. Three of those 2024 deaths were perpetrators who died by suicide, and firearms were used in 79% of that year's cases, up from 60% in 2023, the outlet reported. Eleven of the 14 deaths involved violence between intimate partners such as spouses, girlfriends or boyfriends.
The Flagler County Sheriff's Office said its investigation into the Weyanoke Lane shooting remains ongoing, including the unresolved question of how Brooks obtained the firearm.
