Bradenton man sentenced to prison after shooting friend dead, records say
.jpg "A Manatee County judge sentenced Jabarre Burney, 19, to more than 10 years in prison for fatally shooting his 18-year-old friend, Reginald Fields, while handling a handgun, court records show.")
A Bradenton man will spend more than a decade in prison after investigators said he fatally shot his friend while handling a handgun inside a vehicle.
A Manatee County judge sentenced Jabarre Burney, 19, to more than 10 years in prison after he pleaded no contest to manslaughter by culpable negligence with a firearm in the shooting death of 18-year-old Reginald Fields, court records show. Circuit Judge Matt Whyte also ordered Burney to serve five years of supervised probation after his prison term.
The sentence will run at the same time as Burney’s conviction in a separate firearm case that closed in November, according to court records.
An attorney representing Burney did not immediately respond to the Bradenton Herald’s request for comment.
Bradenton man shot fried dead, deputies say
The manslaughter case stems from a March 2024, shooting at a home in the 3500 block of Fifth Street East in Bradenton, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
Burney told investigators he was seated in the back seat of a car with Fields next to him. In his initial statement, Burney claimed an unknown front-seat passenger handed him a handgun to pass to Fields and that the gun fired during the exchange, striking Fields, according to an arrest report.
In follow-up interviews, witnesses gave accounts that conflicted with Burney’s version of events.
One witness told detectives Burney had been drinking Tito’s vodka and “playing” with a handgun in the back seat of the car before the shooting and said he warned Burney to stop drinking and handling the weapon, according to the arrest report.
Another witness said only Burney and Fields were seated in the back of the vehicle when the gun fired and that Burney had sole possession of the firearm, which was not being passed between people, the report said.
Conflicting stories in manslaughter case
During a second interview the following day, investigators said Burney acknowledged providing false information and changed his account. He told detectives Fields had not asked to see the gun and was not reaching for it when the firearm went off.
Investigators concluded Burney fired the shot that killed Fields after drinking alcohol and using marijuana, the report states.
When deputies responded to the fatal shooting following a 911 call, they said Fields had already been driven to Manatee Memorial Hospital by the time they arrived.
Investigators said Fields was taken to the hospital by a witness and Burney, where doctors attempted to save his life but pronounced him dead from a gunshot wound.
A witness told investigators he heard the gunshot while inside the home and then found Fields wounded in the back seat of the car outside. The witness moved Fields into another vehicle and drove him to the hospital, according to the report.
After dropping Fields off, the witness drove Burney to a nearby residence on Fifth Street East, where Burney showered and changed clothes before returning to the hospital and asking to speak with investigators, the report states.
Court records show Whyte ordered Burney’s prison sentence to run concurrently with a separate firearm conviction that also closed on Nov. 12. In that case, Burney pleaded no contest to carrying a concealed firearm, according to court records.
Whyte imposed strict probation conditions, including bans on alcohol, nonprescribed drugs and firearms, along with random drug testing. The court also ordered Burney to undergo substance abuse and mental health evaluations and complete any recommended treatment, records show.
As part of his supervision, Burney must write an apology letter to Fields’ mother, pursue education or steady employment, meet regularly with a Department of Corrections employment specialist and speak with a youth group about the shooting, according to court records.
Court records show Burney remained held without bond until his sentencing in the manslaughter case.
