The investigation is still ongoing, cops said. (Representative pic)
Two teenage brothers in Florida, US, have been arrested after their sister was fatally shot following an alleged row over Christmas presents. According to the BBC, Abrielle Baldwin, 23, was allegedly shot in the chest by her 14-year-old brother after telling him to “stop arguing because it was Christmas,” the Pinellas County Sheriff’s office said. The brother was then shot by their other 15-year-old sibling, who pulled his own gun, the cops added. Ms Baldwin was taken to hospital where she was pronounced dead.
According to Pinellas County Sheriff’s office, the older teenager, who is 15, ran from the scene and tossed the gun away, while the younger sibling, 14, was taken to the hospital in stable condition. He will be taken into custody when he is released from the hospital. He has been charged with first-degree murder, child abuse and delinquent in possession of a firearm, as per the Independent.
The 15-year-old was also later arrested and charged with attempted first-degree murder and tampering with evidence. He was reportedly taken to a mental health facility due to self-harm statements and will be transferred to the custody of the Pinellas Juvenile Assessment Center once he is released, cops said.
Ms Baldwin, who was carrying an 11-month child in a baby carrier, suffered internal bleeding and was unable to breathe. But the baby in the carrier was not harmed, the department added.
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Speaking at a press conference, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said that the three siblings had gone shopping with their mother and Ms Baldwin’s 11-month-old and six-year-old sons on Christmas Eve. They went to their grandmother’s home in Florida where the three got into a verbal fight over Christmas gifts.
“They had this family spat about who was getting what and what money was being spent on who and they’re having this big thing going on in the store and they’re all arguing with each other,” he said.
“So you got the 14-year-old who’s mad at the 15-year-old because mom’s not buying equal amounts of gifts.” The younger teenager had threatened to shoot his brother in the head, Mr Gualtieri said. The incident occurred after ms Baldwin told her younger brother to stop arguing because it was Christmas, the sheriff added.
Now, local prosecutors will review the case and decide whether to charge the 14-year-old as an adult for the killing. The investigation is still ongoing.