Just as much as the holidays can bring out the best in people, this time of year can also bring out intense, violent behavior. The latest case is that of two Florida brothers whose argument over gifts led to bullets flying and their own sister being killed.
On Christmas Eve, police say 23-year-old Abrielle Baldwin went shopping with her mother, her 14-year-old and 15-year-old brothers and her two young children. On the trip, Pineallas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said an argument started between the brothers over who was getting the most gifts. The argument continued as they arrived to their grandmother’s house, where the boys were supposed to stay while their mother went to work.
As the argument continued, the 14-year-old is alleged to have then drawn a pistol toward his brother in an effort to instigate an altercation. The eldest boy refused to entertain the feud, and their uncle separated the two, the sheriff said.
Baldwin, their sister, interjected and tried to calm down the youngest brother but instead the conversation seemed to have provoked him to even more anger, the sheriff said.
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Baldwin then allegedly told the 14-year-old to stop arguing because it was Christmas, which escalated the argument, with the 14-year-old then allegedly declaring that he would shoot her and the infant she was holding in a baby carrier, after which he shot Baldwin in the chest, according to the sheriff.
The 15-year-old then walked outside the home with another firearm and allegedly shot his younger brother in the stomach because he had shot their sister. He then left the scene, tossed the firearm into a nearby yard and fled to a relative’s house, Gualtieri said.
Baldwin was taken to a local hospital and declared dead. The 15-year-old brother was taken to a mental health facility after reportedly threatening to harm himself, per the AP’s report. Following this, he will be transferred to a juvenile detention center. He’s been charged with attempted first-degree murder and tampering with evidence after he ditched the gun he shot his brother with, according to the report.
The 14-year-old has been charged with first-degree murder, child abuse and possession of a firearm as a delinquent.