PEOPLES
A teenager in Florida has been arrested and charged for shooting his sister dead during an argument over their Christmas gifts.
According to a press release by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, Abrielle Baldwin, 23, died on Sunday after her brother Damarcus, 14, shot her in the chest at their grandmother’s house. This led to their other brother Darcus, 15, shooting Damarcus before fleeing the scene.
Both Damarcus and Abrielle were transported to a local hospital, per the release. While the boy is currently in a stable condition his sister was “pronounced deceased” by medical staff.
“Through their investigation, detectives learned Damarcus, 15-year-old Darcus Coley, and Abrielle, who are all siblings, went Christmas shopping with their mother and Abrielle’s 11-month-old and six-year-old sons,” added the police release.
“They then went to their grandmother’s home where Damarcus, Darcus, and Abrielle were involved in a verbal altercation over Christmas gifts.”
“After Abrielle told Damarcus to stop arguing because it was Christmas, Damarcus told Abrielle he was going to shoot her and the 11-month-old she was holding in a baby carrier,” the release added. “Damarcus shot Abrielle in the chest while Abrielle was holding the child in the carrier.”
“Shortly thereafter, Darcus exited the residence with another firearm and shot Damarcus because Damarcus shot Abrielle,” the press release read. “Darcus then fled the scene, tossing his firearm into a nearby yard. Detectives have been unable to locate the firearm used by Darcus.”
According to Fox 13, Damarcus was upset that Darcus had more gifts than him.
“She was just a woman going about life with her two kids, trying to make a living and trying to make it,” they reported Pinellas County Sheriff Gualtieri as saying about Abrielle, who was a mother of two.
“This proliferation of guns on the streets and guns in this area and guns in the hands of these kids is the worst I’ve ever seen it,” Gualtieri added. “I don’t think we’ve ever seen it this bad.”
After he fled the scene, Darcus contacted his mother and was later taken to a mental health facility following self-harm statements, according to the police report.
“He will be transferred to the custody of the…
