Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more!
Florida Mom Shot To Death, Allegedly After Argument With Teen She Was ‘Trying To Help’
The 16-year-old suspect, who reportedly was living with victim Flora Gandy at the time of the murder, has since been arrested.
A family in Florida has been left grieving following the murder of a beloved mother, allegedly by a teen she'd opened her home to.
Fonda Gandy, 41, was shot and killed in her apartment in Ocoee on Sunday, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. A 16-year-old boy has since been arrested in relation to her murder, after authorities named him as a suspect and asked for the public’s help in locating him.
Gandy’s shooting was preceded by an argument, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by Oxygen.com. Her suspected shooter was in a romantic relationship with her niece, who lived with her; the alleged shooter had begun staying with them a few days before the murder, after getting into a fight with his family, according to the outlet. Just minutes before the shooting, the alleged shooter was with his girlfriend in her bedroom before he excused himself to go to the bathroom; the girlfriend told authorities that she heard a single gunshot a few minutes later, followed by a pause and more gunshots. When she ran downstairs, she found Gandy injured and bleeding.
The girlfriend told police that the teen suspect then began shooting at her, but she was able to get away and call 911, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
The affidavit states that the suspect also shot at another person inside the house before fleeing, but that person's name was redacted from police records. When authorities arrived on the scene, they found 14 spent casings and one live round.
A motive for the shooting has not been released.
A GoFundMe campaign created by Gandy’s 23-year-old son said that his mother was killed just days after her 41st birthday. He described her as “a community mom, always willing to step up and help others.” The teen suspected of killing her was a “kid she was trying to help,” according to her son.
Gandy’s father, Anthony Gandy, said that his daughter worked as a manager at a Michaels store and was a generous person, WESH reports.
“It just can’t be real,” he told the outlet.
