2 Florida women charged after shooting death of photographer is livestreamed
Two women have been arrested in connection with the death of a photographer who was shot outside of a home in central Florida, police said.
Lakevia Davonna Pringle, 31, and Savon Chantay Tyler, 35, were arrested and charged in the death of 34-year-old Lauren Ashley Martin, who was shot and killed outside of Tyler's residence in Sanford, Florida, police said in a statement Friday. Officers responded to Tyler's residence on Tuesday just after 7:00 p.m. local time and discovered Martin "laying in the roadway, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds," according to the Sanford Police Department.
Martin was then transported to an area hospital where she later died from her injuries, police said. Her family told local television station WESH that Martin was a photographer and had a disagreement with Tyler over pictures she took.
Police said further investigation revealed that the two women had an ongoing argument when Martin drove to Tyler's residence. The two engaged in a verbal spat when it escalated to a physical altercation, in which Tyler shot Martin multiple times, according to police.
Police added that Pringle was present during the incident and live-streamed it on social media.
"While live streaming, Pringle can be heard encouraging Tyler to continue the altercation, which led to the homicide of Lauren," police said. "Multiple attempts to interview Pringle were unsuccessful due to her lack of cooperation."
Tyler was taken into custody without incident following the altercation and charged with one count of first-degree homicide, police said. Pringle turned herself in on Friday after Sanford police issued a warrant for her arrest.
Pringle was taken into custody and transported to John E. Polk Correctional Facility without further incident, according to police. She was charged with principal in the first degree to first-degree premeditated homicide.
"A family is mourning the loss of a loved one, because someone chose to resolve a disagreement with violence. What started the argument between these two won’t be remembered, but the loss of Lauren will forever be with her family and friends," Sanford Police Chief Cecil Smith said in a statement. "There are choices other than violence.”
Sanford, a city of about 65,000 people, is in Seminole County and is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford Metropolitan Area. It is about 25 miles northeast of downtown Orlando, Florida.