'It's sad': Man shoots and kills stepson over Fortnite dispute that escalated
By Rebekah Nelson
DAVENPORT, Florida (WFTS) -- A man is behind bars for killing his stepson during an argument over Fortnite that escalated into a shooting on Wednesday night, according to police. Now, police have provided more details about the relationship between the two.
The Davenport Police Department said that around 7:10 p.m., officers responded to a home on Citrus Landing Boulevard regarding a domestic incident.
Police learned that shortly before 7 p.m., Kelly Agar Garcia, 43, and his wife, Adriane Daza, 48, were at home with Daza's two minor children, 9 and 11, and her adult son, Azareel J. Martinez, 26. Daza is the biological mother of all three, while Garcia is their stepfather.
According to officers, the 9-year-old was in Martinez's bedroom playing Fortnite, which his parents had previously forbidden. When Daza learned he was playing the game, she decided to discipline him by taking his phone.
The 9-year-old became upset, and as he and Daza were walking into her bedroom, he went to the nightstand, where he removed a Smith & Wesson 9mm handgun from its drawer. A struggle ensued between Daza and Garcia with the 9-year-old, and Garcia was eventually able to gain possession of the gun.
"I truly believe that if that child did not know where that gun was, none of this would have happened today, none of it," Police Chief Steve Parker said during a press conference on Thursday. "It's sad."
Police said Martinez then entered the bedroom and saw that the 9-year-old was agitated while Garcia was holding the gun. Martinez and Garcia got into a verbal argument, which led to Garcia shooting Martinez several times in the chest and abdomen.
As Martinez was leaving the bedroom, officers said Garcia followed Martinez and shot him twice more in the back before he collapsed.
Martinez was taken to a local hospital, where he died.
According to Parker, the family said that Martinez was unhappy with his mom's relationship with Garcia and had become more outspoken over the last couple of weeks, leading to arguments.
Parker described Garcia as a "disciplinarian," and that Martinez did not like the way he disciplined the two young children. He also mentioned that police had been to the home before in 2022 after a referral from the Florida Department of Children and Families, but said they could not comment further on the prior visit.
Garcia was charged with second-degree murder and unlawful storage of a firearm (accessible to minor). He is being held at the Polk County Jail.
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