A teen gave a homeless man money to buy him beer. Now he is charged with murder
Police arrested a teenager Thursday in connection with the fatal shooting of a homeless man Monday.
Pinellas Park police charged the 16-year-old with first-degree murder in the shooting death of John Asch, 44.
The state attorney’s office will decide if he will be charged as an adult, according to Spectrum Bay News 9.
Asch met the 16-year-old on Monday outside of a convenience store on the corner of 66th Street and 62nd Avenue Monday where the teen gave Asch money to buy beer for him inside the store, police told Bay News 9.
Police said Asch got on his bicycle with the teen’s money. The teen chased him down in front of a water treatment plant and shot Asch in the head. He was taken to the hospital but succumbed to his wound two days later.
Pinellas Park Police Public Information Officer, Sgt. Michael Lynch told Bay News 9 the water treatment plant, which belongs to the city of St. Petersburg, had video surveillance cameras. Those cameras helped solve the case.
The 16-year-old was booked in the Pinellas County Juvenile Assessment Center Thursday, Bay News 9 reported.
Sara Nealeigh: 941-745-7081, @saranealeigh
This story was originally published October 27, 2017 at 7:08 AM with the headline "A teen gave a homeless man money to buy him beer. Now he is charged with murder."