Man shoots son's hand, kills self

He fought his family in a drunken rage before shooting himself in the head, authorities say.

By GINA PACE and MOLLY MOORHEAD
The St. Petersburg Times

Published February 17, 2007

WESLEY CHAPEL - Terry Enyart came home Thursday night drunk and itching for a fight.

He turned first to his son, Scott, then to his wife. Authorities said he struck Theresa Enyart with a soda bottle and tried to strangle the family dog. When Scott came to his mother's aid, Terry Enyart shot him in the right hand.

But in the end, the 56-year-old diesel engine repairman turned his rage on himself.

The Sheriff's Office said Enyart followed his frightened family into the front yard of their Country Crossings home and killed himself with a gunshot to the head about 8:15 p.m.

Scott was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa, where he remained Friday in good condition, spokesman Will Darnell said.

Authorities said the fight started over their living situation - Scott, 31, had moved back in with his parents.

Nanette Reyes, their next-door neighbor, didn't know what to make of the violence.

"No one saw that coming. It's unreal," she said. "I couldn't even speculate why."

Enyart's violent turn came as less of a surprise to Mark Edenfield, a former friend from the Suncoast Trail Blazers motorcycle club.

Edenfield, 54, of Ridge Manor said Enyart could be a fun, helpful friend. But when he drank, he was a different person, violent.

He said Scott Enyart was a frequent target.

"I feared for his safety," said Edenfield, whose friendship with Terry Enyart soured in 2000 over a financial dispute in the club. "I've seen him slap that boy so hard. He'd just threaten that boy and beat him all the time."

Theresa Enyart told deputies it wasn't unusual for her husband to have a gun on him. He had a concealed weapons permit because of his job repairing diesel engines on the road.

But Terry Enyart had another career earlier in life - as a professional baseball pitcher.

He spent most of his 12 ball-playing years bouncing around the minor leagues. He earned a stint in the majors in the middle of the 1974 season, pitching for the Montreal Expos at age 23. But he lasted less than a month, making just two big league appearances for a total of 12/3 innings.

He spent parts of the next eight seasons trying to get back to the majors, playing mostly at the Triple A level in places like Denver; Indianapolis; Quebec City; Vancouver, British Columbia; and Ogden, Utah. But he never returned to the big leagues. His career ended in 1982 with a 48-65 career professional record.

Son Scott Enyart, a foreman for Clearwater Earth Movers, battled drugs. According to state criminal records, he was arrested several times between 1997 and 2002 on charges including burglary and heroin possession.

Both Theresa and Stacey Enyart, the couple's daughter, work at Wesley Chapel High School. The mother does data entry, and the daughter provides health care occupational instruction, according to a directory of employees.

The loss cast a somber mood over the celebration of Teacher of the Year, awarded to Wesley Chapel High teacher Tom Adams on Thursday night, faculty said.

The Enyarts could not be reached Friday.