BRANDON, FL — A 16-year-old boy has been arrested and charged with manslaughter in connection with the fatal shooting of a 15-year-old boy inside Dick's House of Sport at the Brandon Exchange in July, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.
The State Attorney's Office approved the manslaughter charge on Monday following a months-long investigation into the shooting.
Though deputies have named the teen, it's Patch policy not to name minors accused of a crime unless they're charged as an adult. It's not known whether he's being charged as a juvenile or an adult.
Deputies responded to Dick's House of Sport around 4:30 p.m. on July 10, after receiving a 911 call reporting a shooting inside the store. They found the 15-year-old victim dead inside a fitting room, the sheriff's office said.
The Medical Examiner's Office determined the boy died from a single gunshot wound and classified his death as a homicide, HCSO said.
Investigators said the victim and the accused teen were among three juveniles who entered the store together and went into a fitting room. Surveillance video showed the accused teen leaving the fitting room area shortly after store employees reported hearing a gunshot, the sheriff's office said.
The following day, HCSO's Dive Team recovered a firearm from a retention pond south of the Brandon Exchange.
Laboratory and ballistic testing determined the firearm was used in the shooting, detectives said.
The teen is charged with manslaughter with a weapon.
"This investigation has never stopped," Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement. "Our detectives have worked diligently to uncover the facts surrounding Jaden Law's death, and today, we are holding a 16-year-old accountable with a manslaughter charge."
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