A Florida man is accused of fatally shooting his stepson during an argument over a popular game.
On Wednesday, May 21, at around 7:10 p.m. local time, the Davenport Police Department (DPD) received notification of a domestic incident at a home on Citrus Landing Boulevard. Kelly Agar Garcia, 43, and his wife, Adriane Daza, 48, were on the property with Daza’s two minor children, ages 9 and 11, and her adult son, Azareel J. Martinez, 26. ABC Action News reports that Garcia is the stepfather of the three children.
According to WSAZ and KOLD News 13, the 9-year-old was playing Fortnite on his phone despite his mother’s warning that he wasn’t allowed to play the game.
When Daza took the phone away, the agitated child allegedly took a Smith & Wesson 9mm handgun from his mother’s nightstand. Daza was unable to remove the gun from her young son, but Garcia succeeded when he entered the room.
According to ABC Action News, Martinez then became involved and got into an argument with his stepfather, after which Garcia allegedly shot him several times in the chest and abdomen.
Police believe Garcia shot Martinez twice more in the back before he collapsed. Martinez passed away after being transported to a local hospital, according to the outlet.
“I truly believe that if that child did not know where that gun was, none of this would have happened today, none of it,” Police Chief Steve Parker told ABC Action News during a press conference on Thursday, May 22. “It’s sad.”
Garcia is being held at the Polk County Jail on charges of second-degree murder and unlawful storage of a firearm (accessible to a minor), according to inmate records obtained by PEOPLE.
During the May 22 press conference, Parker stated that police had previously visited the family home in response to a referral from the Florida Department of Children and Families in 2022. He added, however, that authorities were unable to provide any additional information about the visit, according to ABC Action News.
The DPD did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Saturday, May 24.
A 26-year-old man died after allegedly being shot many times by his stepfather after an argument over Fortnite
