A fight between family members over presents on Christmas Eve resulted in a young mother being fatally shot as she held her infant son.
It all started when two teenage brothers, ages 14 and 15, got into an argument while Christmas shopping in Largo, Florida, on Sunday.
Abrielle Baldwin, 23, was fatally shot in front of her infant son following an argument between her two younger brothers.
Baldwin was killed after her 14-year-old brother shot her in the chest with a .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun
Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said the 15-year-old became jealous of the number of gifts his mother bought for his younger brother.
The brothers, their mother, and their 23-year-old sister, Abrielle Baldwin, along with her children – two sons aged six and 11 months – went to their grandmother’s house after the shopping trip so she would watch the children while the sister went to work, said Gualtieri.
At the grandmother’s home, the 14-year-old allegedly pulled out his gun and threatened to shoot his brother in the head.
Investigating authorities said the 15-year-old refused to fight with his brother at first and the boys were separated by their uncle.
The 14-year-old then left the home and went outside where Baldwin was.
Baldwin told them to “leave that stuff alone,” said investigators, adding “Why you trying to start it? It’s Christmas.”
The siblings started arguing and that’s when the 14-year-old allegedly shot Baldwin in the chest with a .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun, said the sheriff’s office.
At the time, Baldwin was carrying her infant son in a baby carrier but the child was unharmed.
The 15-year-old ran away and threw his gun into a neighbor’s yard but was later arrested at a family member’s home in Clearwater, said the sheriff’s office.
He was taken to a mental health facility after threatening to harm himself.
The 14-year-old was taken to the hospital and underwent surgery, meanwhile, Baldwin died from her injuries.
The 14-year-old has been charged with first-degree murder, child abuse, and being a delinquent in possession of a firearm.
The 15-year-old has been charged with attempted first-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence.
“The problem is, you got way too many kids out there with way too many guns,” said Sheriff Gualtieri.
“If we don’t slow it down, we got a big problem,” he added. “I’ve never seen it as bad as it is with the number of crime guns that are on the street.”
The Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney’s Office will review the case to decide if the 14-year-old will be charged as an adult.
“The laws need to change,” said Gualtieri. “We need to get serious and we need to get tough and these kids need to get locked up. Send a message.”
