ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – The mother of a 13-year-old Winter Garden boy who was arrested Thursday on a murder charge says her son is a "nice kid," not a "senseless killer."
Delores Bostic was in court Friday while her son, Vamari Bostic, appeared before a judge. He's accused of fatally shooting 25-year-old James Bacon around 2 a.m. Thursday in Winter Garden. Police said the two were involved in some sort of ongoing dispute.
"It's unfortunate what happened. I pray for both families. I pray for her. I pray for me. But as far as Vamari being labeled as a senseless killer, that was not him and this was not a senseless killing," Delores Bostic said.
Delores Bostic and Vamari Bostic's aunt, Gloria Windom, encouraged the boy to turn himself in Thursday when Winter Garden police officials identified him as an "armed and dangerous" murder suspect.
"It's hard. I talked to him. I brought him to turn himself in because it says he was armed and dangerous, he might get killed, this and that," Windom said.
Both women said they were aware of ongoing issues between Bacon and the teen, but they would not elaborate on how the dispute started.
"A lot of events led up to what happened," Delores Bostic said. "The truth will come out. I'm not at liberty to give any information about the case right now. Yes, I know a lot."
Windom said Bacon was like a nephew to her and she wishes that he or Vamari Bostic had come to her so she could have helped them work out their problems.
"Like I told Vamari, if he would have came and told me, I know I would have went to James. Everything would have been good," Windom said.
Delores Bostic hopes that the public will refrain from forming opinions about the case until more information is released. Both women said he's a "nice kid" who gets good grades in school.
"He's a good child but some people, you know, do bad things at times," Windom said.
Delores Bostic doesn't know how her son allegedly got a gun.
Bacon was taken to a hospital Thursday morning after he was shot in the torso, according to Winter Garden police. He died a short time later.
Kendrick Bacon said his younger brother was working to get a job and make a better life for him and his son.
"He just wanted to change his life, get back on track, take care of his son. That's all he wanted was to get back on track and take care of (his) son," Kendrick Bacon said.
During a court appearance Friday, a judge ruled that Vamari Bostic will need to remain in custody for the next 30 days while the state decides how the case will be handled, including whether he will be charged as an adult on the first-degree murder charge.
He's also facing a grand theft charge but it's unclear if that's related to Thursday's shooting. That trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 3.