14-year-old fatally shoots mom and injures her boyfriend in argument, Florida cops say
A 14-year-old from Florida is accused of fatally shooting his mom and injuring her boyfriend after an argument, deputies say.
The shooting happened in Riverview, Florida, just outside Tampa on Sept. 16, according to a news release from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies received reports of a shooting as well as “several calls reporting a young male suspect running through the Summerfield subdivision armed with a handgun,” according to the sheriff’s office.
A woman was found dead in the driveway outside a home in the neighborhood, deputies say. Another man who was shot five times fled to a neighbor’s home for help, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a news conference.
The suspect’s brother told deputies he heard his mother and her boyfriend arguing, Chronister said. Then the brother said he heard gunshots.
“This is family violence at its worst,” Chronister said.
When deputies found the teen, they say he was still armed and threatened to harm himself. A 16-minute standoff ensued, and eventually the boy lowered the weapon, deputies say.
The boy then attempted to retrieve the gun again, at which point they fired a round from a 40 mm launcher, which is a less-lethal weapon, according to the release.
“This scene is one of nightmares and absolute heartbreak,” Chronister said in the release. “This family’s life is forever changed. A victim’s life was taken, and because of his actions, the suspect’s life, as he knows it, is over. He will never see the outside of a detention facility for his crimes.”
In an update Sept. 18, officials said the teen faces felony charges of murder in the second degree with a weapon, attempted murder in the first degree premeditated firearm - discharge, and aggravated assault with deadly weapon.
The man who was shot was taken to a hospital in Tampa, and he is now in stable condition, deputies said.
This story was originally published September 18, 2023 at 2:07 PM with the headline "14-year-old fatally shoots mom and injures her boyfriend in argument, Florida cops say."