BRANDON, FLA. — The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a 16-year-old in connection with the July shooting death of a teenager inside a fitting room at Dick’s House of Sport at the Brandon Exchange.
The teen was charged with manslaughter in the death of 15-year-old Jaden Law.
On July 10 around 4:30 p.m., the sheriff’s office’s 911 center received a report of a shooting inside the store. Deputies arrived within minutes and found Law dead inside a fitting room.
Detectives determined the 16-year-old and Law were among three juveniles who entered the store together and went into a fitting room. According to the sheriff’s office, surveillance footage showed the 16-year-old and the other juvenile leaving the fitting-room area shortly after employees reported hearing a gunshot.
The Medical Examiner later determined Law died from a single gunshot wound and classified his death as a homicide.
The investigation continued for more than two months.
On July 11, the sheriff’s office dive team recovered a firearm from a retention pond south of the Brandon Exchange. Testing later determined the firearm was used in the shooting.
Major Michael Kuettner with the sheriff’s office said investigators reviewed interviews and other evidence before determining the case met the standard for manslaughter.
“Due to the fact of the reckless acts of [the suspect],” Maj. Kuettner said. “His acts were reckless in nature which led us to this point.”
Kuettner also said investigators determined the firearm had been stolen from a vehicle and that all three juveniles involved in the incident possessed the gun at some point.
In a brief phone call Tuesday, the victim’s father, Samuel Law, said he does not believe a manslaughter charge is justice and wants a murder charge. He has questioned why the person responsible would leave the scene and dispose of the firearm.
Former Miami-Dade County Court Judge Jeffrey Swartz said those actions could be evidence of consciousness of guilt, but they do not necessarily establish what happened inside the fitting room.
“The only thing that those acts show is that there, it becomes evidence of consciousness of guilt. That is, I’m the guy that fired the gun. I don’t want to get caught, that type of thing. That’s all that does. It doesn’t tell us anything about what happened inside the Dick’s sporting goods,” Swartz said.
The State Attorney’s Office said the case is currently in the juvenile division. Prosecutors are reviewing the facts to determine whether the teenager will be charged as an adult.
"This investigation has never stopped," Hillsborough Sheriff Chad Chronister said. "Our detectives have worked diligently to uncover the facts surrounding Jaden Law's death, and today, we are holding a 16-year-old accountable with a manslaughter charge. Thank you to the detectives for your commitment to this case and for your relentless and diligent work to bring justice to the victim."
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