Teen accused of killing woman in Tarpon Springs shooting: 'It is very sad'
TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. - A 15-year-old is sitting in jail and facing a first-degree murder charge in the shooting death of a 36-year-old mother in Tarpon Springs.
"It is very sad that a young 36-year-old woman lost her life, and we have to think about that family who lost a child, a daughter, maybe a mother, an aunt, a sister, a friend," said Major Taurean Mathis with the Tarpon Springs Police Department. "And, I empathize with that family going through this most difficult time."
What we know:
Tarpon Springs police said it happened on Monday around 8 p.m. near the 1300 block of Starlight Cove. When officers got there, they found 36-year-old Candice Stinton unresponsive and started administering first aid. She was taken to Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point, where she was pronounced dead.
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"The police department did receive reports of several gunshots in the area," Detective John Melton with TSPD said.
Police said 15-year-old Jerimiah Ashley pulled the trigger.

"A 15-year-old who has most likely thrown away their life for whatever reasons, we’re still investigating," Major Mathis said.
What we don't know:
Detectives are still investigating the motive, and how Ashley and Stinson may have known each other, but said they weren’t related. Officers said it was an isolated incident.
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Police are also investigating where the teen got the gun.
"I would ask parents to check their children's phones, their social media accounts, whether it's Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram, all those social media apps and know what your children are doing," Mathis said. "Ask questions. Don't be the parent that says, ‘that's it's not my kid.’ We don't know what our kids are doing if we don’t ask questions."
What they're saying:
Family and friends described Stinson on social media as a mother with young children who had a beautiful soul.
What you can do:
Tarpon Springs police wouldn’t comment on whether officers are looking for any other suspects or persons of interest. They ask if you have any information about the incident to call 727-938-2849.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13's Kailey Tracy, who interviewed officials with the Tarpon Springs Police Department.
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