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Flirting could be to blame in fatal shooting of woman's boyfriend

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — An Orange County woman faces first-degree murder charges after investigators said she shot and killed her boyfriend.

Deputies said the shooting happened about 8:30 p.m. Monday after a fight between 69-year-old Jerome Gallon and 49-year-old Janice Smith at her house on Eiffel Drive near Pine Hills and Silver Star Road.

WFTV learned the argument began after Smith heard Gallon might have been flirting with another woman.

During the argument, Smith pulled out a gun and shot Gallon in the head at the end of the driveway, deputies said.

Emergency crews rushed to the scene after Smith called in the shooting herself.

Smith said Gallon pushed her and was verbally abusive towards her, so she ran to her bedroom and got the gun, shooting Gallon in the back of the head.

After the shooting, Smith went to her sister-in-law's house with the gun and asked her to dispose of it, police said. Smith then returned to her home and called 911.

Court records show Smith is facing premeditated murder charges. Her sister-in-law, Elizabeth Kindred, is facing charges for accessory after the fact.

Kindred told investigators someone named "Jimmy" threw the gun into a canal behind her house. Investigators have not said if they recovered the weapon.

WFTV learned Smith was arrested by Dallas police in Texas in 1996 for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Friends said gallon was a good man, who worked as a cook at Universal Studios.

WFTV spoke with the Gallon's brother, Ormond Gallon.

"She seemed like a nice person, but some relationships, when they become volatile, you don't really know," he said.

Smith remains in jail without bond.