FishHawk Teen To Be Tried As Adult In Fatal Shooting Of Friend

LITHIA, FL — The Hillsborough County State Attorney's office will prosecute a 15-year-old FishHawk Ranch teen as an adult in the death of fellow student Bradley Hullet on Dec. 13.

State Attorney Andrew Warren's office confirmed that Christopher Bevan, a sophomore at Newsome High School, will be tried as an adult on the first-degree felony charge of manslaughter with a firearm. If convicted, Bevan could face up to 30 years in prison.

Bevan was arrested Friday after Warren's office decided that, although the teen thought the gun was unloaded when he pulled the trigger, Bevan showed reckless disregard for the safety of another person, which amounts to manslaughter.

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Bevan, represented by Assistant Public Defender Mike Peacock, made his first appearance in juvenile court on Saturday.

Although Bevan and his family sat with the Hulett family in reserved seating at Bradley's funeral service, communication between the two families ended shortly after, said Hulett's father, Brad.

"That (communication) only broke down when we were made aware that they not only had gotten counsel but were not cooperating," said Brad Hulett. "That changed our lives dramatically ... really sent our lives into a tailspin, to be very frank. We haven't had any contact since then."

Brad Hulett said Bradley, Christopher Bevan and the two other boys present when the shooting occurred were good friends who frequently hung out at the Huletts' home on Friday nights.

Brad Hulett said he misses those Friday nights, which have become silent and painful with Bradley's absence.

"We're a tight family; we're a big family and Bradley was the glue for our family," he said. Bradley was the oldest of five children. "He was very, very important to us and to his siblings. We hope the sun's going to come out tomorrow and it's a better day."

The announcement of Bevan's arrest came 77 days after Hulett's death. In that time, Brad Hulett said his family wasn't "doing all that well."

"There's a path now, I think, to closure for us that helps, so I'm happy in that sense though that's not the appropriate term ... I'm pleased, though we struggle," he said.

He's not sure if he's prepared to forgive, however.

"I haven't really, to be very honest, given any thought to forgiveness at this point," he said. "That's probably the next thing that will cross my mind."

One thing Hulett made clear during a press conference was his disappointment that the owner of the gun wasn't held accountable.

"I'm pleased with the charge decision on the young man that killed Bradley but it could have gone farther for us," he said.

The shooting took place after school in the FishHawk Ranch home of a Tampa Police officer whose son was a member of Bradley Hulett's close circle of friends. The police officer and his son have not been named by the sheriff's office or state attorney.

According to Warren, the son picked the locked door of his father's master bedroom and took the gun, which was secured in a safety holster on a table. There was no magazine in the gun but there was a single bullet in the chamber.

Warren said there wasn't enough evidence to indicate the police officer violated Florida's safe storage law for gun owners.

"The gun was not locked in a safe or fitted with a trigger lock, and the master bedroom door could be unlocked relatively easily," Warren said in the statement. "Therefore, it was certainly possible and foreseeable that the son could obtain the gun, and the father's belief that the gun was secure was arguably mistaken and ill-advised. Under Florida law, however, that is insufficient to establish a violation of the safe storage law."

"I think the next big thing we do in Bradley's honor is to try to get that law tightened up and made fair," said Hulett. "This should never have happened and, if that weapon was secured like how I secure my weapon in my home, this doesn't happen. Dec. 14 comes and Bradley plays basketball. Obviously, we're sitting here for a different reason. It's because somebody didn't secure their firearm properly -- maybe legally but not properly."

Hulett also took a moment to thank the FishHawk Ranch community and those who followed the case on family's Facebook page, #JusticeForBradley, for their support.

"The FishHawk community, everyone who's been part of our social media presence since we started this movement to get justice for our son, Bradley, we appreciate it more than you know ... whether it's the meals, the hugs, the tears, the handshakes or whatever," said Hulett. "It's really opened our eyes to how fortunate we are to live where we do."