(Cupventi.com) – In Riverview, Florida, on a Saturday, a 14-year-old male was apprehended for allegedly fatally shooting his mother and injuring her boyfriend with multiple gunshots, as reported by authorities.
Sheriff Chad Chronister shared during a press conference that the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office received several distress calls around 4 p.m. that day regarding an incident in the Summerfield subdivision.
Chronister described the scene as a profoundly distressing one, stating, “The scene behind me is one that nightmares are made of.”
Deputies arrived at the location to find the 14-year-old boy brandishing a firearm at his own head on multiple occasions, expressing suicidal intent. After a negotiation lasting about 16 minutes, deputies deployed a non-lethal projectile to prevent the boy from accessing the gun again, eventually taking him into custody.
Following this, deputies responded to a report of a man who had fled his residence after being shot multiple times, sustaining gunshot wounds to various parts of his body. The injured individual was identified as the boyfriend of the suspect’s mother. He was swiftly taken to Tampa General Hospital in critical condition.
In close proximity, a woman’s lifeless body was discovered in a home’s driveway a few blocks away. The deceased woman was confirmed to be the suspect’s mother.
According to Chronister, deputies interviewed the suspect’s older brother, who was present in the residence where the woman’s body was found. The brother informed them of a heated argument between their mother and her boyfriend before the sound of gunfire. He witnessed the suspect shooting his mother and subsequently aimed the weapon at him, prompting the older brother to escape the premises.
Chronister outlined his belief that the 14-year-old shot the boyfriend first during the altercation and then turned the weapon on his own mother. The sheriff explained that after the argument, the boy went through the neighborhood seeking the boyfriend to, in his words, “finish the job.”
The sheriff expressed deep sadness, stating, “This family’s lives have been changed forever. They lost a mother.” He underscored the tragedy of the situation, emphasizing that the suspect, a 14-year-old, now faces a future confined to detention facilities. Remarkably, the suspect’s older brother emerged from the incident unharmed, and there was no prior criminal history associated with the suspect.