POLK COUNTY, Fla. – An argument between a couple escalated into a man killing his girlfriend and shooting their roommate as that woman tried to protect her, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies said 33-year-old Christopher Pequeen and his girlfriend recently moved into an apartment in Bartow along with another man and a woman who are in a relationship with each other.
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On Sunday morning, Pequeen and his girlfriend got into an argument and that woman went into the other couple’s room and told them that “she was scared that Pequeen was going to kill her and that he had held his hand over her nose and mouth so that she could not breathe,” a news release said.
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She also expressed interest in getting a restraining order against Pequeen, records show.
Deputies said Pequeen went into the other couple’s bedroom at this point and pointed a gun at his girlfriend and the couple before he hit the female roommate in the face with the gun and shot his girlfriend multiple times.
The female roommate was also shot as she tried to shield Pequeen’s girlfriend, according to authorities.
After the shooting, deputies said Pequeen pointed the pistol at the male roommate and demanded all their cellphones, which the man handed over.
Records show Pequeen ran away from the apartment while the male roommate went to a neighbor’s unit to call 911.
Pequeen’s girlfriend died at the hospital while the other victim is currently in stable condition, a news release said.
Pequeen was arrested not long after the shooting on charges of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
“This is an example of how horrific domestic violence can become. Christopher Pequeen is a coward and a murderer. We will do everything we can to make sure justice is done in this case,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said.