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Bond denied for Ruskin man accused of shooting his sons

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Published  May 22, 2025 5:32pm EDT
Hillsborough County
FOX 13 News
Ruskin father accused of trying to kill his sons appears in court

Ruskin father accused of trying to kill his sons appears in court

FOX 13's Kylie Jones reports.

The Brief

    • A Ruskin man accused of shooting his sons appeared in court on Thursday afternoon.
    • Christopher Brown, Sr. is charged with two counts of attempted murder.
    • The judge ordered Brown Sr. to remain behind bars.

TAMPA - A Hillsborough County father accused of shooting his three sons in their Ruskin neighborhood appeared in court on Thursday for a pre-trial detention hearing.

Christopher Brown, Sr. is charged with two counts of attempted murder after a shooting involving his three teenage sons on Sunday afternoon.

The backstory:

A prosecutor with the 13th Judicial Circuit said Brown Sr. was armed and seeking out his three sons in their neighborhood.

The prosecutor said Brown Sr. doesn't live with his sons.

"They said that they had a long history of the father being an issue in their life," HCSO Det. Shawn Lunghi said. "Only the oldest son mentioned that he was violent toward them, but the other two sons indicated that he's always causing trouble for the family."

The detective said the sons told them that they had been trying to avoid their father for days.

Detectives say that on Sunday afternoon, the three teens were going to the pool when Brown Sr. pulled up in a car and stopped them in the road.

Dig deeper:

"The father came out of the vehicle with a pink and black pistol in his hands," Lunghi said.

The detective said that the older brother went over to try to de-escalate the situation, but then Brown Sr. hit his son in the face with the gun and it discharged. The bullet hit the son's ear.

The two other sons rushed over to help their brother.

 "And between three to five rounds were discharged from inside the vehicle," Lunghi said.

Investigators said the other two sons were shot in the hand and the leg.

All three teens were taken to the hospital, and while they were sitting in the hospital, detectives say Brown Sr. kept calling them.

"He stated, 'I tried to take your life. I bet you won't run up on me. I bet you won't spin on me'," Lunghi said.

The detective said he heard one of the sons on the phone with Brown Sr. when he arrived at the hospital to investigate the case.

"He stated, 'I'm going to finish the job. You won't make it until Wednesday'," Lunghi said.

However, Brown Sr.'s attorney asked the judge to consider a number of factors.

What they're saying:

"The credibility of the witnesses being one of them," Brown Sr.'s attorney Alan Sandler said. "The detective in this case gets all of his information from Mr. Brown's kids, one of them whom clearly has an ax to grind with him."

The defense asked the judge to grant bond for Brown Sr.

"The detective testified that if my client was actually trying to kill these individuals, he had ample opportunity to do so when they were right next to the car," Sandler said. "Could have easily shot either one of them in the head or hand or chest. He did not do so."

What's next:

The judge ordered Brown Sr. to stay behind bars.

"Parents are supposed to protect and love their children from danger," Judge Nick Nazaretian said. "Protect them from danger, right, and love them. They're not supposed to be the danger."

Brown Sr. is facing a number of charges, including two counts of attempted murder and three counts of aggravated battery with great bodily harm.

The Source: FOX 13 reporter Kylie Jones gathered the information for this story.

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