18-year-old accused of basketball court shooting denied bond by Tampa judge
CARROLLWOOD, Fla. - An 18-year-old will remain behind bars after a deadly shooting at a basketball court in Hillsborough County.
Anthony Cabrera Morales, 18, is charged with murder and attempted murder. He appeared in court for a pre-trial detention hearing on Tuesday morning.
Anthony Cabrera Morales in court on Tuesday.
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The backstory:
Cabrera Morales is accused of shooting and killing Brian Jones, 19, and injuring an 18-year-old after an argument broke out during a basketball game in Carrollwood last week.
Jones's family is mourning his death. They say Jones, who was a young father, went to play basketball with his friends like he usually does, but never came home.
Pictured: Brian Jones.
His father is calling for an end to gun violence.
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"It was completely uncalled-for, unnecessary, and dangerous," a prosecutor said.
Dig deeper:
In court on Tuesday, a detective said that witnesses told them that the two victims and Cabrera Morales were on the sidelines of the basketball game.
Witnesses told investigators there was trash-talking during the game, leading to an argument.
"The issues were kind of resolved, and they continued playing, and then some more trash talking started, which caused another kind of verbal altercation between the groups," said Detective Renee Garcia of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
Detectives say that Cabrera Morales said he was sitting on the ground when this happened. He told detectives what he allegedly heard one of the victims say.
The Carrollwood basketball court where the shooting took place last week.
"Per the defendant, he made mentions of firearms or potentially having firearms, and was on the phone with other individuals telling them to come to the court as well," Garcia said.
Cabrera Morales allegedly told investigators that he saw a gun in a backpack and grabbed it as the argument escalated but that he didn't know who it belonged to.
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"As they're confronting each other verbally, two gunshots ring out and the witness observes the defendant with the firearm," Garcia said.
Investigators say Jones was shot and killed.
PICTURED: Brian Jones.
Detectives say Cabrera Morales told them that the gun went off a second time accidentally, leading the second victim to start running away from the scene.
"And he said as he was nearing the exit, he felt a pain in his back, and then he continued running out until he approached another individual who was there running as well, who then told him that he had been shot," Garcia said.
The 18-year-old victim was taken to the hospital, but he survived.
Prosecutors say neither of the victims had any weapons.
Investigators say witnesses identified Cabrera Morales, and they found him loading a backpack into a car a day after the shooting.
He was a passenger in the car when authorities pulled it over, and he was arrested.
What's next:
On Tuesday, Cabrera Morales's attorney asked the judge to set a reasonable bond.
The Carrollwood basketball court where the shooting took place last week.
"My client has no prior arrest history," his attorney said. "All of his family is here in Hillsborough County."
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Cabrera Morales' attorney also said that none of the witnesses called 911.
The judge denied bond for Cabrera Morales.
Jones's family says he was their pride and joy, and they hope to find justice in his death.
The Source: FOX 13's Kylie Jones collected the information in this story.
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