ORLANDO, Fla. – A 15-year-old boy has been arrested and faces a charge of first-degree murder with a firearm, accused in the fatal shooting of a U.S. Army veteran earlier this year in Signal Hill, according to the Orlando Police Department.
Police identified Samuel Stevens as a suspect in the death of 60-year-old Angela Washington, who was shot the evening of Feb. 7 as she passed through a group of young men outside of an Orlando shopping plaza. The shooter, after leaving Washington lying on the sidewalk, drove off in a sedan.
First responders were called to the 5100 block of North Lane around 7 p.m., locating Washington with a gunshot wound. Orlando firefighters worked to save her life, but she would later die from her injuries. Investigators do not believe Washington was the intended target of the shooting, as was corroborated by people known to her who News 6 spoke with.
“She was just an innocent bystander coming to the store and that happened,” said one man who lives near the shopping plaza. “It could’ve been me, it could’ve been anybody. I’m just glad I followed my senses.”
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Investigators made contact with and interviewed several of the people who were outside of the store during the shooting, yet still urged the public to come forward with information. In March, a reward of up to $10,000 was broadcast for tips leading to an arrest in the shooting.
Orlando police announced Stevens’ arrest in a news release Friday.
Through the relentless efforts of our Homicide Detectives along with cooperation from the community and Crimeline a suspect has been captured.
Orlando Police Department | 6.9.23 Homicide Detectives Make an Arrest in the Homicide of a U.S. Military Veteran (excerpt)
In addition to being an Army veteran who served in Operation Desert Storm, Washington was also a mother and grandmother.
Her son, Fernando Washington, told News 6 that he thinks about his mother more and more each day.
“I’m relieved that he’s been arrested and they found him, but it doesn’t bring me any closure,” he said. “At the end of the day, I lost my mom, I lost a parent, and no arrest, no future judgment is going to bring her back. I’m thankful for the work that the detectives put in, because they did put in a lot of work.”
This is a developing story. Check back with News 6 for updates.
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