Authorities say a Florida man who fatally shot a teenager searching for a lost cellphone inside a gated community will not face criminal charges.
The shooter, a man in his mid-20s, killed 15-year-old high-school freshman Heitor Amaral on Sept. 20 at a Tampa apartment complex, according to the Tampa Police Department and the Tampa Bay Times.
Following what police described Thursday as a “comprehensive review of the evidence,” investigators determined they could not charge the unidentified resident who fired the weapon.
Earlier that day, Amaral had misplaced his cellphone. He and two friends used tracking pings to follow the device to the complex on River Willow Place, police said.
The teens entered through an open gate and parked a truck in the roadway as they searched for the phone.
After moving the vehicle at a resident’s request, the group went door to door seeking information. When no one answered at one residence, they entered an enclosed back patio and struck a glass sliding door, according to police.
The resident told investigators that he put on a mask and armed himself to frighten the teenagers away. Two of the boys ran, while a “physical altercation” then began between Amaral and the man.
The resident said Amaral placed him in a headlock, prompting him to fire one shot because he feared for his life.
The bullet critically wounded Amaral, who died at the scene.
Tampa police submitted their investigation to the state attorney’s office. Prosecutors concluded they could not disprove the resident’s claim that he shot Amaral in self-defense.
“We recognize the profound pain and concern this tragedy has caused for the family and friends of those involved, and for our entire community,” the police department said in a statement.
Police did not publicly identify the teenager. His sister, Maysa Amaral, told the Tampa Bay Times that Heitor was the boy who died and had only recently begun his freshman year of high school.
Yessenia Gonzalez, whose 16-year-old son Julio was with Amaral that day, disputed the account of a physical confrontation. She said the teenagers were running when the resident opened fire.
“I want the truth out there,” Gonzalez told the newspaper. “There was no fighting. These kids had no weapons.”
Gonzalez said her son told her, “I don’t know what scared me more, the guy wearing a mask in his own house or the gun.” She said Julio described the shooter as appearing to have a “new toy,” jumping up and down and seeming ready to use the weapon.
Both Gonzalez and Maysa Amaral said Heitor was short and thin and not someone who would have started a fight.
Maysa described her brother as the youngest of three children. He regularly completed his chores, enjoyed video games and loved riding the electric bike his father had given him.
“He was such a good kid,” Maysa Amaral said. “He absolutely did not deserve what happened to him.”
A GoFundMe campaign launched by Maysa to help pay for Amaral’s funeral and legal expenses for his family had raised more than $6,000 toward its $10,000 goal.
“I want people to know that my brother was a loving and caring kid who had so much more life ahead of him, and now he is resting,” the fundraiser states.