Veteran Accused Of Killing Girlfriend And Her Son After Argument About Watching Football

A military veteran from Tampa, Florida is accused of killing his girlfriend and her young son after a dispute over a football game.

Tyrone Johnson, 42, allegedly called 911 on Sunday evening to tell authorities he had shot Stephanie Willis, 34, and her 10-year-old son Ricky inside their apartment. An argument allegedly broke out after Johnson changed the channel to watch football, according to WFTS in Tampa.

Johnson told police that after the argument, he went into the master bedroom to pack up his belongings when Willis began berating him and pushed him from a walker he uses to get around following surgery on a foot he injured during his time in the military, according to the Tampa Bay Times. 

After continued "tussling" by Willis, Johnson told police that the boy accused him of hitting his mother. He responded by pushing the boy, retrieving his Glock 22 .40-caliber handgun and shooting Willis, who had a Playstation console in her hands at the time, according to the Tampa Bay Times. The child fled the room before returning, Johnson told cops, at which point he shot him as well. 

"The defendant advised he kept firing and alluded to firing at victim no. 2 while he was on the ground," according to a police report cited by the Times. 

Johnson said all the shooting happened in the master bedroom but evidence of gunfire, as well as blood, were found in the boy's bedroom, authorities said. 

Johnson was arrested and charged with first-degree felony murder, second-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and shooting into or within a building. He is being held without bail.

He served in the U.S. Marines from 1994 to 1998 before spending another four years in the U.S. Army from 1998 to 2002, but he wasn’t deployed anywhere, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

[Photo: Provided by Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office]