DELTONA, Fla. – Two teenagers were arrested in connection with the Christmas Day shooting death of a 17-year-old in Deltona, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said.
Hillsborough County sheriff’s deputies arrested 19-year-old Brian Reardon and 15-year-old Kobe James Bedat after Volusia Sheriff’s Office detectives obtained arrest warrants for third-degree felony murder.
The investigation began on Christmas Day, when deputies responded to the 2000 block of El Campo Avenue in Deltona around 9 p.m. Upon arrival, they found Brendan Watkins with multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene, deputies said.
According to the sheriff’s office, Reardon and Bedat knew Watkins through online gaming and traveled from the Tampa area to Deltona to trade an AR-style rifle — one that was later determined to be stolen. Detectives say Watkins attempted to rob the two, which led to Bedat shooting Watkins.
“This investigation is a long way from over. Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the burglary in which the AR-15 that they were going to sell was stolen,” said Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood. “And then there are some other things going on there, as how does a 19-year-old or 15-year-old get their hands on firearms, and family members over there in Hillsborough County provided firearms to those kids to come over here to the murder?”
Surveillance footage captured the pair arriving in an SUV, followed by a verbal confrontation and muzzle flashes before Watkins fell to the ground, the sheriff’s office said.
A 17-year-old who was with Watkins at the time discarded a rifle in a neighbor’s yard during the incident. That individual was subsequently charged with violation of probation, violation of curfew, and possession of a firearm.
Deputies said Bedat will be charged as an adult