A 14-year-old boy has been arrested in Riverview, Florida, after he killed his mother and shot her boyfriend five times.
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister, in a press briefing filmed by WTVT on Saturday night, said the scene was “one that nightmares are made of”
After dispatch, he received a call from a neighbour about a young Black male running through the neighbourhood with a firearm, Deputies confronted the child and negotiated his surrender for about 16 minutes.
According to Chronister, at several points, he put the gun to his head and threatened to shoot himself. The deputies eventually convinced the child to put the gun on the ground. However, when he attempted to grab the gun again,the officers applied a “less lethal option.” by launching 40 mm projectile at him from about 40 yards away, hitting him in the hand and torso.
The child was ultimately convinced to put his hands in the air and walk toward the deputies. He was then taken into custody without incident.
An adult male was discovered inside the residence with gunshot wounds to the hands, torso, and face. Chronister said it appeared that a bullet travelled through his hands and hit him in the face.
A couple of houses down from the residence, the suspect’s mother was found dead from a gunshot wound in the driveway.
According to the suspect’s older brother, who witnessed part of the incident, he was in his room when he heard his mother and her boyfriend arguing. He then heard gunshots and came out of his room to see what was happening. The suspect aimed the gun at him, but he fled the home.
Chronister said he believed the suspect shot the boyfriend, then chased his mother to the driveway a couple of houses away.
“This family’s lives have been changed forever. When I tell you that this is one of the nightmares, this is heartbreaking,” Chronister said.
“This 14-year-old young boy’s life is over too. He will never see the outside of a detention facility. This is family violence at its worst.”
Chronister described the de-escalation by deputies as “textbook,” noting officers restrained from using lethal force at several points when the suspect lowered the gun from his head or later reached for it.
“Deputies had the intuition to know the young male wasn’t threatening to shoot them,” he said.
“They were calm. They were collected. There was no yelling. They established a rapport with this young male.” (GKN)
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