Teen dead after friends wearing body armor take turns shooting each other, police say

Author: CBS NEWS
Published:
Joshua Vining (Credit: MARION COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE)

A Florida teen was fatally wounded while he and a friend took turns wearing body armor and shooting each other, police said. Christopher Leroy Broad, 15, died the evening of April 3 after being rushed to a hospital, according to police in Belleview, a community about 60 miles northwest of Orlando.

Following the teen’s death, investigators determined that Broad and 17-year-old Joshua Vining had been taking turns shooting at each other “while wearing a vest which contained a form of body armor,” according to a news release from the Belleview Police Department.

Detectives “discovered evidence to prove that Vining shot and killed Broad,” police said, adding: “Vining shot at Broad while he was wearing the vest and he was struck.”

Vining was arrested Thursday and he has been charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child with a firearm. He posted a $30,000 bond on April 8, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office website.

Police didn’t say what kind of gun was being used or who owned it.

A 16-year-old boy who witnessed the shooting initially lied to police about what had happened, according to authorities. They said the boy has been charged with providing false information to law enforcement.

Both teens have been charged as adults.

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