RIVERVIEW, FL – A shocking crime scene unfolded in Riverview, Florida, this past weekend. A 14-year-old boy was taken into custody after allegedly shooting his mother dead and severely injuring her boyfriend. The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office was alerted to the incident in the Summerfield subdivision on Saturday afternoon following a series of 911 calls.
Sheriff Chad Chronister painted a grim picture of the scene, likening it to a nightmare. Deputies arrived to find the young suspect threatening to commit suicide, holding a gun to his own head. A tense standoff ensued, lasting 16 minutes, before deputies used a non-lethal projectile to disarm the boy and take him into custody.
Shortly after, deputies responded to a distress call from a man who had been shot five times but managed to escape his home. The man, identified as the mother’s boyfriend, had gunshot wounds to his lower torso, hands, and face. He was rushed to Tampa General Hospital in a critical condition.
Meanwhile, the body of a woman was found in a driveway a few blocks away. The woman, later identified as the suspect’s mother, was declared dead at the scene. The boy’s older brother, who was in the house at the time of the shooting, told deputies he had heard an argument followed by gunshots. He then saw the suspect shoot their mother.
Sheriff Chronister believes the boy first shot his mother’s boyfriend before turning the gun on his mother after a heated argument. The sheriff also mentioned that the boy was seen running around the neighborhood, possibly in search of his mother’s boyfriend.
“This family’s lives have been changed forever. They lost a mother,” Chronister said. “This 14-year-old young boy’s life is over. He will never see the outside of a detention facility.”
The suspect’s older brother was unharmed in the incident. The sheriff’s office noted that the suspect had no previous criminal record and is now awaiting a search warrant.