WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – A man arrested Tuesday is accused of fatally shooting another man in a Winter Haven home, according to police.
Valan Michael Ray Tyner, 20, faces a charge of manslaughter with a weapon, the Winter Haven Police Department said in statement.
Officers responded around 3:20 p.m. to the 200 block of Avenue F Southeast, where they began life-saving measures on the victim until he could be taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.
A safety sweep of the area was conducted because Tyner told police that he thought the shot came from outside of the home, yet after no signs were found of a projectile entering the home in such a way, a search warrant for the residence was obtained, the statement reads.
Police interviewed the other four occupants of the home, all of whom reported hearing a loud pop while they were either on the phone or asleep in a different room before seeing Tyner carry the victim from a bedroom into the living room.
Evidence was found of the victim being shot inside of the bedroom, including a firearm on a bed with one spent shell casing, according to the statement. Tyner then claimed he was cleaning the gun when it “went off,” the statement reads, adding investigators found no cleaning supplies in the bedroom.
The victim was not identified, and Winter Haven police Chief David Brannan’s only described him as a “young man.”
“This is a tragic incident that changed the course of many lives,” Brannan said in a statement. “We have a young man deceased, his family grieving and another young man facing serious charges for an act that appears to be negligence in the handling of a firearm. Our thoughts and prayers are with all involved.”
Tyner was booked into the Polk County Jail, police said.
Note: This map depicts the general area of this shooting and not necessarily its exact location.
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