Tampa resident who shot, killed 15-year-old boy won't face charges: Police
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Mother calls for answers after deadly shooting
A Tampa mom is speaking out following a deadly shooting on Sunday. She says it involved her teenage son and his two friends. FOX 13's Kylie Jones reports.
TAMPA, Fla. - The State Attorney's Office won't be filing criminal charges against a Tampa resident involved in the deadly shooting of a 15-year-old boy.
State Attorney's Office not pressing charges
What we know:
The Tampa Police Department said they finished their investigation into the shooting, which left a 15-year-old dead on September 20 in the 13000 block of River Willow Place. They said the State Attorney's Office reviewed the case and declined to press charges against the resident.
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"We recognize the profound pain and concern this tragedy has caused for the family and friends of those involved, and for our entire community," TPD officials said in a news release Thursday.
Officials said the State Attorney's Office declined to press charges, because they wouldn't be able to refute a self-defense claim.
Deadly shooting in gated community
The backstory:
Tampa police said the 15-year-old realized the weekend of September 20 that he lost his phone after leaving a local establishment. Later that Sunday, he and two friends tracked the lost phone to a location near the 13000 block of River Willow Place, which is in a gated community.
They all got into the gated community through an open gate to try and get the phone. TPD officials said they left their truck in the middle of the road.
After they were asked to move the truck, they went door-to-door asking residents if anyone had the phone, according to investigators.
However, after one resident, a man in his mid-20s, didn't answer, the teen and his friends went to the backyard, entered an enclosed back patio and started banging on the sliding glass door. Authorities said the resident told them he put on a mask and armed himself to scare off the group he saw on his private back patio trying to access the sliding door.
TPD said evidence shows that as the other teens ran off, the 15-year-old and the resident got into a physical altercation just outside the enclosed patio. During the fight, the resident said he was placed in a headlock and shot the 15-year-old, because he was in fear for his life, according to police.
The teen was critically injured when police arrived at the scene, so they tried to save his life, but investigators said he did die at the scene.
Officials confirmed that the resident involved cooperated with TPD's investigation and the gun was taken as evidence. The teen's phone was not inside the home and still hasn't been found, police said.
Unanswered questions in Tampa shooting
What we don't know:
Tampa police have not identified the 15-year-old boy or the resident involved in the shooting.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the Tampa Police Department, which announced the State Attorney's Office's decision not to file charges against the resident and gave details about the shooting investigation.