ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A Central Florida mother says she does not believe her teenage daughter’s boyfriend’s account of the events that led to the 17-year-old’s fatal shooting this week.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death of 17-year-old Skylar Bradford, who was shot Wednesday at the Baldwin Meadows Apartments near State Road 436 and Old Cheney Highway.
Deputies said Bradford was found suffering from at least one gunshot wound when they responded to reports of a shooting. She was taken to a hospital, where she died.
Bradford’s mother, Rodnesha Speed, said she had called the Orange County Sheriff’s Office to request a welfare check on her daughter just minutes before learning she had been shot.
“Maybe five minutes after that, I walked outside, and I got a call from one of the detectives, and they explained to me that she had been shot, and then they said she had passed away,” Speed told News 6.
Speed said her daughter had been arguing with her boyfriend, 19-year-old Jehovan Mitchell, in the days leading up to the shooting.
“His aggressiveness would come out,” Speed said. “I would read messages, and he’s calling her out of her name and threatening her because she didn’t have money to help him.”
According to an arrest affidavit, Mitchell told deputies he and Bradford were arguing over alleged infidelity when they both grabbed a gun, causing it to fire toward the ceiling. He later told investigators Bradford pointed the gun at her own head and pulled the trigger.
Speed said she does not believe Mitchell’s version of events.
“I don’t, not at all,” she said. “Skylar was a happy person. And if it was a problem, if she felt like it’s another girl, she would have just left.”
Mitchell remained at the scene after the shooting, investigators said.
As of Friday, no one has been charged in Bradford’s death. However, Mitchell was arrested on a charge of tampering with evidence. Detectives say Mitchell hid the gun used in the shooting and it still has not been found.
Speed said her daughter will be remembered for her joyful personality.
“Always smiling, always dancing, always being goofy,” she said. “I’m really going to miss her around the house. I’m really going to feel that void, and honestly I don’t think it will ever be filled.”
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation remains ongoing. No additional charges have been announced.