x
Breaking News
More () »

Winter Haven police arrest great uncle of man shot, killed at July 4th block party

Family members of Demetrick Brown said they don't believe his great uncle did the crime.

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — Winter Haven police made an arrest in the deadly shooting of Demetrick Brown at a July 4th block party, but family members say they don't think they have the right person.

At a news conference Monday morning, Police Chief David Brannan announced Bernard Footman, the 26-year-old's great uncle, was taken into custody Sunday just a few days after police obtained a warrant for his arrest on Thursday.

Brannan explains Footman admitted to shooting a firearm into the air during the block party. After guns were recovered from that night, the police chief says shell casings were found inside Footman's car related to the shooting.

After taking him into custody, police were reportedly able to recover guns, one of which had ammunition matching the same shell casings found at the scene.

Leading up to the shooting, Brannan explains Footman and some people with him got into an argument with another group which ended up in a fight. Witness testimonies and evidence point to the storyline of after it got physical, Footman allegedly went to his truck and retrieved the gun.

"It took a lot of work, sometimes these cases with limited evidence aren't easy," Brannan said. "But our commitment was to the family and to the victim of making sure to... resolve this case and bring it to closure for them."

But according to Brown's father, his great uncle Footman didn't do it.

"We're still in limbo right now because Bernard Footman was our uncle and... deep down...I don't believe that he did it," Brown's father said.

He said the family is just going to "let it play out in court."

Investigators say they know the family is upset by the circumstances, but they’re confident they’ve arrested the right man.

"Despite what you hear, [detectives] worked hard on [the case], they worked around the clock, they did a lot of interviews, they did what they needed to do," Public Safety Director Charlie Bird said. "The evidence pointed to this suspect..."

"The fact of the matter is Bernard had a firearm out there and was firing that firearm...I don't care what [the reason] is, you don't pull a gun out and start shooting it, period."

Footman is facing charges of second-degree murder, two counts of attempted second-degree murder, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and tampering with evidence.

Watch the full news conference below.

Before You Leave, Check This Out