16-Year-Old Gang Member Charged In Murder Of Girl In Brandon

BRANDON, FL — A 16-year-old boy has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of a 14-year-old girl in Brandon June 17.

The teen, a member of the Town N' Country-based gang TC Boys, was arrested at his home on Postwood Circle in Tampa Tuesday.

Around 1:30 a.m. June 17, Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputies were called to the Walgreens parking lot at 128 E. Brandon Blvd. for a report of a shooting. Deputies found a 14-year-old girl in the back seat of a car with a gunshot wound to the head.

Three other people were in the car at the time of the shooting — one adult female driver and two juveniles.

After interviewing the three witnesses, deputies learned that they had just left a house party on Rollingwood Lane in Valrico. A teen boy in the car had a long-standing "beef" with the 16-year-old who's been charged, according to detectives.

At the intersection of Kingsway Road and East Clay Avenue in Brandon, about a mile from the Walgreens, the 16-year-old fired multiple shots at the car. One bullet went through the rear window, hitting the 14-year-old girl in the head.

The girl was taken to Brandon Hospital, then flown to Tampa General Hospital in critical condition. She died a day later.

The 16-year-old was transported to the Juvenile Assessment Center Tuesday night and charged with second-degree murder. The State Attorney's Office will determine if he will be charged as an adult.