PINE HILLS, Fla. – New details released this week in the shooting death of a teenage boy in Pine Hills show he was shot as his friends and brother passed around a gun that they didn’t know was loaded, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
Brandt Glover, 17, was pronounced dead at a hospital after being shot in the head early Friday in a home on White Heron Drive, investigators said.
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Addressing the shooting as “accidental” in a preliminary report, the sheriff’s office followed up on Tuesday, providing the clearest-yet sequence of events leading up to and immediately following Glover’s fatal shooting.
An incident report summarizes witness statements from two of Glover’s brothers and two friends. As one of Brandt Glover’s brothers and two of his friends were all together in a room playing video games, listening to music and smoking, the brother stated the gun had been checked yet was still loaded without anyone’s knowledge.
The gun went off as Brandt Glover’s brother passed it to one of the other friends, investigators said. One of the friends who was present — using his phone at the moment of the shooting — told deputies that there were no issues among anyone in the room.
Brandt Glover’s other brother was asleep at the time in another room, deputies said. When he was woken up and told that his brother had been shot, he believed it was a joke at first, yet later was unable to provide a written statement due to experiencing the traumatic event, the report states.
Brandt Glover was a student of Jones High School, Orange County Public Schools said.
Jones High School Principal Orlando Norwood left the following message for parents:
Jones High School family, this is Principal Norwood calling with some very sad news to share. Today, I was notified of the tragic death of one of our students. I know I speak for our entire school community when I express the grief we feel at the loss of one of our own. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family as they go through this extremely difficult time. With the loss of any student, there are always questions, but we respect their privacy. We will have grief counselors on campus next week for any student or staff member who needs to speak with someone about this loss. A wide range of emotions can be felt during the grief process and we encourage you to openly discuss your child’s reaction to this news. Please keep our students and staff in your thoughts at this very difficult time. Thank you for your support.
Jones High School Principal Orlando Norwood
No arrests have been announced and an investigation is ongoing.
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