A 14-year-old boy was arrested in Riverview, Florida, on Saturday after he allegedly shot and killed his mother and left his mother’s boyfriend with multiple gunshot wounds, according to officials.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office received numerous 911 calls just after 4 p.m. on Saturday regarding an incident in the Summerfield subdivision, Sheriff Chad Chronister said at a press conference.
“The scene behind me is one that nightmares are made of,” Chronister said. “And that is extremely heartbreaking.”
Deputies responded to the scene and found a 14-year-old boy who allegedly pointed a firearm at his own head at least six times, threatening to take his own life. A 16-minute negotiation ensued, and deputies fired a non-lethal projectile at the boy, so he would not reach for the gun again. He was then taken into custody.
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Chronister said deputies then responded to a call about a man who had fled his house after having been shot five times, sustaining gunshot wounds to the lower torso, hands and face. The man was identified as the boyfriend of the suspect’s mother.
The victim was transported to Tampa General Hospital in critical condition.
A woman’s body was discovered lying in the driveway of a home a few blocks away. The woman, the suspect’s mother, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Chronister said deputies spoke with the boy’s older brother, who was in the home where the woman’s body was found. The brother told deputies he heard his mother and her boyfriend arguing before he heard several gunshots. He left his bedroom and saw the suspect shoot his mother.
The suspect then pointed the gun at his older brother, who fled the scene.
Chronister said he believes the 14-year-old shot his mother’s boyfriend before killing his own mother following an argument. The sheriff said the boy then began running around the neighborhood to look for his mother’s boyfriend and “finish the job.”
“This family’s lives have been changed forever. They lost a mother,” Chronister said. “This is heartbreaking. Our suspect is only 14 years of age. This 14-year-old young boy’s life is over. He will never see the outside of a detention facility.”
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The suspect’s older brother was unharmed in the incident. Chronister said the suspect had no criminal history.
The sheriff’s office is awaiting a search warrant.
