This is wild.
An 18-year-old man in Tampa, Florida, has been accused of shooting an off-duty ATF agent who was trying to break up a fight outside of a bowling alley. The ATF agent is now permanently paralyzed.
During Smith's pre-trial detention hearing, Matthew Murray's wife, Courtney Murray, told a judge that she and her husband, their kids, and a few family friends had just finished a fun night at The Alley at Southshore and were standing near the front door when they saw two males and one female start fighting.
What happened next was beyond anything the Murrays expected.
[Language Warning]
18-year-old Christopher Smith was arrested seven hours after the shooting and faces charges of attempted murd-r, aggravated battery, tampering with evidence, and carrying a concealed firearm
The off-duty ATF agent was with his family at the bowling alley when he saw a fight in the parking lot
The agent tried to intervene and was shot in the neck
This guy was just trying to do the right thing and break up a fight, and now he's permanently paralyzed. Luckily none of the kids were injured in the altercation.
Smith tells investigators that Matthew Murray hit him in the shoulder, and that he then "blacked out and shot [Murray] once," though security footage should make this case crystal clear for the jury.
This happened down in Florida, so of course the 18-year-old suspect was denied bond.
The firearm used in the shooting has still not been recovered by law enforcement. Smith faces a minimum of 25 years in prison, and could potentially spend the rest of his life behind bars.
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