A heated argument between family members on Christmas Eve resulted in one sibling dead and two others headed to a Florida jail, authorities said.
According to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, Abrielle Baldwin, 23, and her brothers, Damarcus and Darcus Coley, went shopping with their mother for the holidays over the weekend. Baldwin’s 11-month-old baby and 6-year-old child were also present.
“While they’re shopping, 15-year-old Darcus was jealous that their mother Joyce was getting 14-year-old Damarcus more gifts than he was receiving,” Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said at a Dec. 27 press conference. “So they had this family spat about who was getting what and what money was being spent on who.”
The verbal dispute over gifts continued when the family got to their grandmother’s residence, in Largo, Florida. While the older boy was in the kitchen with their grandmother, Damarcus stood in the doorway and pulled out his semi-automatic handgun and threatened to shoot Darcus in the head, Gualtieri said.
Damarcus tried to provoke a fight with his brother, but Darcus refused. An uncle who witnessed the argument decided to break it up and led Damarcus into the driveway. Baldwin was attempting to de-escalate the situation, telling Damarcus they needed to “leave that stuff alone” because it was Christmas, the official said.
Damarcus started cursing and insulting Baldwin while she was holding her 11-month-old in a baby carrier in her hand. It escalated when Damarcus threatened to shoot her and her child, and then he followed up by shooting his sister in the chest. The baby was not injured.
This prompted Darcus to come outside moments later and allegedly shoot Damarcus in the stomach with a different gun for what he did to their sister, per the sheriff’s office. Darcus instantly left the scene, chucked the firearm into a yard, and traveled to another family member’s home, where he was taken into custody. The weapon hasn’t been found.
Officials said Darcus was transported to a mental health facility because he made “self-harm statements.” The teen was charged with attempted first-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence. He is expected to be transferred to the local juvenile detention center after treatment.
Deputies discovered Baldwin and Damarcus with gunshot wounds at the scene. Baldwin succumbed to her injuries, while Damarcus survived. He is in a hospital recovering from surgery and facing several charges, including delinquent in possession of a firearm, child abuse, and first-degree murder.
Gualtieri said that before the shooting, Damarcus posted the same weapon he used in the shooting on social media. Witnesses told law enforcement that the brothers were known to carry guns in the neighborhood.
At the press conference, Gualtieri spoke about how juveniles are getting their hands on firearms.
“The problem is we got way too many kids out there with way too many guns. They’re getting them because they’re buying it on the street cheap… breaking into cars, and they’re stealing the guns out of the unlocked cars,” he added.
