$150K bond set for man accused of stalking, shooting at teens

BRANDON (FOX 13) - A trip to the mall for Rachael Character's 16-year-old daughter nearly killed her.

"It's been hard on her. She hasn't slept. She maybe gets two hours a night now," said Character. 

The teenager and a male friend were at the Westfield Town Center Mall in Brandon last week when suddenly they were dodging gunfire.

The girl's stepfather, Daniel Johnson says something his daughter did suddenly attract the wrong attention.

"In the surveillance at the mall you see them looking directly at her when she pulls her money out of her purse to show her friend," said Johnson.

Detectives say the two became an easy target for defendant Roger Colon and his female accomplice.

During Colon's first court appearance, Johnson explained it to the judge, hoping to keep him behind bars.

"He stalked and followed our daughter and her friend for two hours before ultimately firing a gun into their car. She is 16 and her friend is 17. I don't think he should be released," Johnson implored.

The prosecutor said the female accomplice is still on the loose and Colon is already pointing the finger at her for firing the gun, but the victims say Colon did it.

The judge set a high bond, to the relief of two anxious parents.

"I feel good. I feel like we accomplished what we came here for," explained Johnson.

Bond was set at over $155,000.