Marion County

Police: Teen killed after boys take turns shooting at each other wearing body armor

BELLEVIEW, Fla. — One teenager is dead after police said two boys took turns shooting at each other while wearing body armor.

Belleview police said Christopher Leroy Broad Jr., 16, died after he was hit by a bullet while taking turns with Joshua Vining, 17, to shoot at each other while wearing the armored vest on April 3.

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Police arrested Vining on Thursday on a charge of aggravated manslaughter of a child with a firearm.

Investigators said Colton Whitler, 17, who was initially interviewed as a witness to the shooting, misled officials with inaccurate information about what took place and who shot Broad Jr.

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Whitler was also arrested Thursday on a charge of providing false information to law enforcement.

Officers said Vining and Whitler are both being charged as adults.

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Sarah Wilson

Sarah Wilson, WFTV.com

Sarah Wilson joined WFTV Channel 9 in 2018 as a digital producer after working as an award-winning newspaper reporter for nearly a decade in various communities across Central Florida.