A 14-year-old boy from Riverview, Florida, was taken into custody on Saturday, September 16, due to a shooting that caused the death of his mother and left her boyfriend critically injured.
The report was confirmed by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities were summoned to the Summerfield subdivision shortly after 4 pm after multiple 911 calls reported the shooting. Sheriff Chad Chronister provided more insights into the event in a subsequent press statement.
Upon their arrival, deputies confronted the boy who repeatedly aimed a gun at his head, indicating potential self-harm. Following a tense 16-minute negotiation, the deputies used non-lethal means to disarm him, after which he was safely arrested.
In a related development, deputies were alerted about a man with multiple gunshot wounds. This individual was identified as the mother’s boyfriend, who suffered injuries to his lower torso, face, and hands. He was urgently taken to Tampa General Hospital and is described as being in a critical state. The mother was found deceased with gunshot wounds in a driveway.
The boy’s elder brother, who was at home during the episode, provided additional context. He informed the deputies that he heard an argument between his mother and her boyfriend shortly before the shots were fired. On investigating the noise, he saw his younger brother shooting their mother. There was also a brief moment when the younger sibling pointed the gun at him, prompting him to run from the scene.
Drawing from the accounts given, Sheriff Chronister posited that the boy possibly targeted his mother’s boyfriend before turning to his mother. The Sheriff also noted that the teenager had a clean record and had never been involved in any criminal activities previously.
As the case progresses, the Sheriff’s office is awaiting a search warrant to delve deeper into the matter.
