Mother, son charged in high school athlete's fatal shooting

Tampa Bay-area authorities say a 16-year-old and his mother face charges in the fatal shooting of a high school basketball player.

The Tampa Bay Times reports (http://bit.ly/2pD64zF ) new details about the Jan. 1 death of 17-year-old Brandon High School basketball player Jayquon Johnson were released Friday in arrest reports for the Valrico woman and her son.

Deputies said both teens were armed when Johnson was shot. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said the 51-year-old woman buried both guns after she found her son standing over Johnson, but she unearthed them before calling police.

The State Attorney's Office said the 16-year-old wasn't charged with killing Johnson because "there is insufficient evidence to rebut (his) claim of self-defense."

However, the teen faces a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm. His mother faces charges of tampering with physical evidence.

___

Information from: Tampa Bay Times (St. Petersburg, Fla.), http://www.tampabay.com.