BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — A Grand Jury has indicted a Brevard County man for killing a two-year old girl last summer.
37-year old Clifford Long is accused of shooting Bless’yn Lightner to death inside a bedroom of a home on Poplar Lane in Melbourne. Authorities say he shot her at close range in her forehead. Lightner died at the scene.
Lightner was playing with her grandfather in a bedroom before she was shot. Investigators say Long also shot Lightner’s grandparents. Both survived those injuries. Lightner’s grandfather, Haywood Hilton, gave police a description of the shooter, which led to Long’s arrest. Haywood also picked Long out of a police lineup, authorities say.
Long was charged with one count of first-degree premeditated murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder, and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Authorities have not released a motive.
Long has an extensive criminal record in Brevard County with convictions for drug possession, resisting arrest, carrying a concealed firearm, and possession of a firearm after a felony conviction.
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