Florida woman fired gun near daughter in West Melbourne motel room, police say

Woman fired gun near daughter in motel room, police say

A Florida mom is facing charges after shooting a gun inside a West Melbourne motel room with her daughter inside.

WEST MELBOURNE, Fla. - A Florida mom is facing charges after shooting a gun inside a West Melbourne motel room with her daughter inside.

Officers with the West Melbourne Police Department responded to a reported disturbance around 9:30 a.m., March 17 at Americas Best Value Inn, citing unconfirmed reports of shots fired inside a room. The Brevard County Sheriff's office confirmed a 911 call reported shots fired inside a motel room. 

The backstory:

When arriving, officers located a Florida mom – identified as Rene Florence, 41 – who appeared to be having a mental health crisis. Police said it's possible this crisis could have been exacerbated by drug use, as Florence was found with a white powdery substance that field tested positive as methamphetamine. 

Suspect's daughter in the room

Police said Florence was acting paranoid. Her daughter was on the ground and on the phone, a police report said. 

Though Florence didn't point the gun at her daughter, however, she refused to allow her daughter to leave the room and physically restrained her daughter – whose age was not disclosed – despite the officer's attempts to resolve the situation, police said. 

Deputies reported a damaged window as well as a person barricaded in a room. 

Shots fired in the room

Florence shot her gun twice – firing out of the motel room windows and shattering glass, police reported. 

Melbourne PD's SWAT and a BCSO Crisis Negotiation Team responded, but barricades were placed inside the room – making it difficult for officers to observe what was happening in the room, police said. 

Police saw Florence hit her daughter. They intervened and used less-lethal munitions to prevent further harm, the department said. 

By 12:20 p.m., police reported that the situation was resolved, and the mother and daughter were removed from the room. 

The daughter was safely taken out of the room and is receiving care. 

No bond status

Florence is facing multiple charges, including: false imprisonment, child abuse, domestic violence battery, discharging a firearm in public and possession of methamphetamine. 

She was transported to the Brevard County Jail and is being held on a no-bond status, police reported.