Two boys in St. Pete are about to begin the school year. Instead, one individual is now facing a serious manslaughter charge, while the family of the other person is making arrangements for a funeral. Last Thursday, St. Petersburg police reported that a tragic incident resulted in the death of 11-year-old Veondre Hargrove. The unfortunate event was sparked by an argument over a vape pen.
On Sunday, a 14-year-old named Gavin Santos-Brown voluntarily surrendered to the police. He is facing charges as an adult for voluntary manslaughter.
“This is something very tragic all around,” SPPD Public Information Specialist, Ashley Limardo, said.
According to authorities, Hargrove and Santos-Brown were present at a friend’s residence on 11th Avenue South, in close proximity to Child’s Park, at approximately 9:45 p.m. on Thursday. Based on the arrest report, Hargrove and Santos-Brown were seated on the couch when Santos-Brown produced a firearm. According to the report, a mutual friend happened to overhear a conversation between the victim and the suspect regarding a vape pen. The pen in question was apparently taken from the suspect by the victim, who was unaware of this fact.
“He [the mutual friend] said somewhere along the lines, you know, ‘we’re not allowed to have guns here. I need you to put it away,’ and he turned around when suddenly he heard the shot go off,” Limardo said. “The next thing he knew, Hargrove was shot and killed and then Gavin fled on foot.”
A handgun was found at the scene, according to the report. Investigators are continuing their efforts to determine the origin of the firearm. However, Limardo emphasized the importance of securing firearms as this incident serves as a heartbreaking reminder.
“What we see commonly happen is that a lot of our juveniles obtain these weapons through opening a door in a car and finding them. Sometimes their parents own them and they have access to them. It’s important that if you are a gun owner, that you have it locked up and put it somewhere where it’s not easily accessible to children, your own children, or even leaving them in your car, in an unlocked car, because that is a trend that I do still see happening where people are checking the doors, the door is unlocked and they come across a weapon,” Limardo said.
Based on the arrest report, Santos-Brown is identified as a student at Azalea Middle School.
“We understand that usually a lot of criminal activities with juveniles are typically associated with boredom or having too much time on their hands,” Limardo said.
“We have the Youth Care Program that’s available to them that will give them access to sports. If they’re having any needs for any other situation, that’s also available. We just want to make sure that our residents and our parents know that we are here to help them as much as possible. Our goal is not to arrest as many children as we can. We want them to live their life and become something that they can be, and it’s if we all work together,” Limardo said.
The investigation is currently in progress as reported by Fox-13 News.