Teen Boy Vacationing With Family in Florida Killed in Random Shooting

A teenage boy was found dead, and his stepbrother was injured after a man allegedly fired shots at them at a beach in Florida early Tuesday morning.

Police said the teenagers, whose vacationing with family in Florida, were shot near the shores of Panama resort after they encountered Christopher Lawrence Cox at around 1:30 a.m.

The 37-year-old suspect from Panama City Beach in Florida was arrested on the same day and charged with one count of murder and one count of attempted murder, the city police said in a statement.

The names of the two 14-year-old victims from Louisville, Kentucky have yet to be made public, Crime Online reported.

Florida Man and the Victims

Police said the deceased teen was found lying on the beach with a gunshot wound to his upper body. The other teen was found "at the complex with gunshot wounds to his extremities." Police said he was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.

According to a WSAZ report, a security guard who happens to be nearby was able to hear the shooting. He then rushed in to tackle the suspect.

Coincidentally, police said Cox was originally from Louisville, Kentucky. Following his arrest, Cox was taken to the Panama City Beach Police Department and "made incriminating statements about his involvement in the shooting." Police said the gun used in the shooting had been recovered.

Florida Shooting in Panama

The authorities who investigate the case have yet to release other details regarding the case. However, a family member told WAVE 3 News that the victims were walking on the beach when Cox asked them for a cigarette.

The family member said Cox did not leave the teens alone and told them before shooting them that they "better run for the ocean because I'm going to shoot you."

Reports said Cox was convicted in Jefferson County of fourth-degree assault as part of a domestic violence case in 2018.

Meanwhile, the Panama City Beach Police Department said that while the incident occurred during the spring break vacation season, it was not spring break-related.

It can be recalled that authorities in Miami Beach, Florida had been forced to fire pepper balls more than a week ago to disperse a crowd of people swarming in the city despite the coronavirus restrictions the city has implemented.

A total of 542,116 crimes were reported to happen in Florida in 2019. Among these numbers, 81,270 are considered violent crimes, according to a Neighborhood Scout report.

Florida has ranked number 19 in terms of state-by-state gun death rates per 100,000 people from 2008-2017, according to the Center for American Progress.

In terms of gun-related homicides in 2008-2017, Florida ranked 15 among all the states. The state ranked 26 on shootings related to suicide.

WATCH: Teen From Louisville Area Killed in Panama City Beach Shooting, Another Child Injured - From WHAS11