Tragedy struck a Florida family on Christmas Eve when a young mother was shot to death following an argument about Christmas gifts.
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said 23-year-old Abrielle Baldwin died after she was shot in the driveway of her family’s home in Largo on Dec. 24 by her 14-year-old brother, Damarcus Coley, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Authorities said the teen was in a rage prior to the shooting because he felt his older brother, 15-year-old Darcus Coley, was receiving more Christmas gifts than he was during a family shopping outing.
The “family spat” continued when Baldwin, her brothers and her two sons — a 6-year-old and a 10-month-old — returned to their grandmother’s home in Largo, just south of Clearwater.
The 14-year-old was still enraged because he felt his older brother was getting more and more expensive gifts for Christmas than he was, police said.
Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said during the argument, Damarcus Coley pulled out a .40 caliber handgun and threatened to kill Darcus.
The teen eventually left the home after an uncle talked him down and went outside, where he encountered his sister and her baby.
The two shared some words in which Baldwin attempted to diffuse her brother’s anger.
“You all need to leave that stuff alone. Why are you trying to start it? It’s Christmas,” she said, according to Gualtieri.
Damarcus then shot Baldwin once in the chest, according to police.
She dropped her baby, who was in a carrier and was not harmed, according to NBC News.
HEARTBREAKING 💔 This is Abrielle Baldwin. The mother of 2 was killed on Christmas Eve in unincorporated Largo after her teen brothers got into an argument over Christmas presents and pulled out guns. 📷: Baldwin familyhttps://t.co/iL3jIiXzUV pic.twitter.com/IWAQLJW0kq
— 10 Tampa Bay (@10TampaBay) December 26, 2023
Immediately following the shooting of Baldwin, Darcus Coley came outside with his own handgun and approached Damarcus, Gualtieri said.
The sheriff said the 15-year-old, upset that his sister had been shot, opened fire on his younger brother, striking him once in the stomach.
Gualtieri said only eight seconds had elapsed between the time the 14-year-old shot Baldwin and his own shooting.
Immediately following the shooting of his younger brother, Darcus Coley tossed his handgun in a neighboring property and went to the home of another relative in Clearwater, the sheriff said.
Damarcus Coley was taken to a hospital. He is expected to be released in about a week, according to Gualtieri.
Damarcus is charged with first-degree murder, child abuse and being a minor in possession of a firearm, according to the Times.
Meanwhile, his brother is charged with attempted first-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence.
The sheriff said the two boys got their firearms by stealing them from unlocked cars.
“These young kids, 14, 15 years old, routinely carry firearms, and this is what happens when you got young delinquents that carry guns; they get upset they don’t know how to handle stuff, so they just take out their guns and start shooting each other, and one of them kills his sister,” Gualtieri said.
