RIVERVIEW, Fla. — A 14-year-old boy was charged with murder after shooting his mother to death and leaving her boyfriend in critical condition, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office reports.
Adeem Berry is facing felony charges of second-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder with a firearm and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
The shooting happened around 4 p.m. Saturday on Lynmoor Drive near Astorwood Place in Riverview.
Deputies said Berry's older brother recalled his mother and her boyfriend arguing when he heard gunshots ring out in the house. That's when he realized his 14-year-old brother had shot them, according to Sheriff Chad Chronister during an earlier news conference.
Scared that he would be shot, too, the older brother ran out of the house to go look for help.
Deputies reportedly arrived to find Berry running through the neighborhood with a gun in search of his mother's boyfriend. When they confronted him, the teen threatened to shoot himself, but deputies were able to de-escalate the situation – even after the 14-year-old dropped the gun and tried to pick it up again.
Chronister said deputies then fired a non-lethal projectile at Berry before arresting him.
"It is incredible to see the deputies in this video remain calm, build a rapport with the young suspect, and talk him down from hurting himself or anyone else," the sheriff said in a statement. "This is a testament to the deputies' training and knowledge and use of the deescalation tools they've been given. They work, and they save lives."
Deputies found the mother's boyfriend shot five times a short distance away from the home. He was flown to Tampa General Hospital where he remains in critical condition as of Monday afternoon.
Berry's mother was found dead in a neighbor's driveway a couple of houses down. The sheriff's office said people tried to help the woman before realizing she had already died.
The sheriff said he believes domestic violence is what prompted the shooting.
"For anyone out there that believes they are a victim of domestic violence, we have an absolute phenomenal resource in the Tampa Bay area," he said. "The Spring of Tampa Bay will help you in every way imaginable. All you have to have is the courage to pick up the phone and say that violence will not occur to me or my family."
Anyone experiencing a mental health crisis is urged to reach out for help. You can contact the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay at 211 or call 911. The National Domestic Violence Hotline can be reached 24/7 at 800-799-7233. Anyone experiencing a mental health crisis can contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.
10 Tampa Bay's Leo Santos contributed to this report.