15-Year-Old Florida Boy Shot By 19-year-old Man In Dispute Over 35-Year-Old Woman
A Florida woman is facing multiple charges after police say she gave a 15-year-old boy her gun to protect himself from a 19-year-old.
Police investigators say 35-year-old Chanel Williams was having romantic relationships with both.
The older teen shot the boy Saturday night multiple times, according to police.
Williams was in front of a judge for the first time on Monday at the Brevard County Jail as she faced four charges relating to the shooting on Saturday. Charges range from child neglect and abuse to failure to secure a weapon.
The 15-year-old boy was reportedly living with her. He was shot Saturday night near the pool at the Hammock Harbor Apartment complex, according to investigators.
“The female that we arrested had a romantic relationship with both the suspect and the 15-year-old,” said Deputy Chief Donna Seyferth of the Rockledge Police Department.
Williams was ordered by the judge to not have any contact with children under 18 and set the total bond on four charges at $45,000.
Police say that there will probably be more charges against Williams coming and that there were at least three more children in the household.
The Department of Children and Families was called in just after the shooting.
Williams’ defense attorney, Jason Downs, made a statement in front of the jail.
“Our preliminary investigation shows that the police reporting may be a little bit inaccurate. Maybe the facts do not support the charges. So we are looking forward to dealing with this case in court,” Downs said.
Williams told police that she was the legal guardian of the 15-year-old, and investigators have been in touch with the boy’s mother.
“It is a very confusing case. We’ve got a guardian that’s not a guardian. We’ve got a 35-year-old female that has been with both our suspect and our victim, one of them being a juvenile.
It has taken a lot of investigative work to get where we are,” Seyferth said.
Rockledge police have identified a suspect in the shooting as 19-year-old Dante Stokes and that his last known address is in the Titusville area. They’ve issued a warrant for his arrest and believe he’s still armed.
“If they see him, they need to not approach him, need to use caution and definitely call law enforcement,” Seyferth said.
Williams will next appear in front of a judge on March 30.
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