Insets, from left: Ahmad Webb (Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office) and Jaden Law (Ray Williams Funeral Home). Background: The Dick's Sporting Goods store in Brandon, Florida, where Webb allegedly shot Law to death (WFLA).
A 16-year-old Florida boy is accused of shooting his 15-year-old friend to death in the dressing room of a Dick's Sporting Goods store.
Ahmad Webb is facing a manslaughter with a weapon charge in the shooting death of Jaden Law.
His arrest comes two months after the shooting occurred at the sporting goods store inside the Brandon Exchange Mall, just outside Tampa. Deputies with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office responded around 4:30 p.m. July 10 after employees heard a gunshot.
Cops arrived at the store and found Law dead in the dressing room from a single gunshot wound.
Surveillance footage showed three people, including Webb and Law, walk into the store and go into the dressing room. After the gunshot rang out, Webb and the third person ran out of the store and into a parking lot. They were arrested a few minutes later.
Though deputies initially did not find a gun on Webb, they did find one in a retention pond just south of the mall the next day. Tests confirmed it was the gun used in the shooting.
"This investigation has never stopped," Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement. "Our detectives have worked diligently to uncover the facts surrounding Jaden Law's death, and today, we are holding a 16-year-old accountable with a manslaughter charge. Thank you to the detectives for your commitment to this case and for your relentless and diligent work to bring justice to the victim."
Authorities have yet to divulge what led up to the shooting and how they identified Webb as the shooter. A probable cause arrest affidavit that would contain some of those details was not immediately available.
"This is something that is really concerning. This is a place where families come to shop, to have a good time with their families," Chief Deputy Joseph Maurer told reporters after the shooting. "We have no tolerance for that … particularly in this community setting."
A medical examiner determined Law's death was a homicide. The State Attorney's Office approved the manslaughter charge on Monday after an "extensive investigation," deputies said. Webb's next court date was not immediately listed.
Law was described as "a sweet young boy with a soft soul."
"Though he is no longer with us in person, his love lives on in our hearts," his obituary said. "His legacy of joy, kindness and unconditional love will continue to inspire us every day."