A teenage Florida boy accused of shooting a man in head while on the phone with a 911 dispatcher had charges against him upgraded to murder Friday after the victim died
Connor Michael Lewis, 16, of Sanford, was originally arrested on suspicion of attempted homicide in connection with the Wednesday shooting of 18-year-old Artavious Quarterman. Quarterman died Friday at the hospital from his injuries, police said in a news release.
Lewis called 911 around 8 p.m. Wednesday to report several women banging on his door and window after a dispute between him and his girlfriend. He could be heard over the phone saying: “Oh, you’re so scary. You’re so scary.”
As the group was calling Lewis’ name, a gunshot was heard, police said.
“In the course of this interaction, one round from a gun was fired from the inside of the home, through the window on the front door, striking Artavious Quarterman in the head,” a police news release said.
Quarterman had accompanied the mother of Lewis’ girlfriend to the home to pick up her belongings, police said.
He was taken to a hospital where he remained in critical condition until he died Friday. Lewis was originally arrested on suspicion of attempted second-degree homicide and shooting into or throwing deadly missiles within a dwelling before the charges were upgraded.
“The fact that a young man’s life is now at risk is senseless,” Sanford police Chief Cecil Smith said. “Sanford Police officers were minutes away from the home, and I believe would have been able to separate and de-escalate the situation in a matter of moments. When you shoot a firearm, you must understand that the consequences of that can be deadly in any situation.”
