{"id":35691,"date":"2023-09-12T18:03:25","date_gmt":"2023-09-12T22:03:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/?p=35691"},"modified":"2023-09-12T18:04:27","modified_gmt":"2023-09-12T22:04:27","slug":"15-year-old-found-fatally-shot-in-driveway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2023\/09\/12\/15-year-old-found-fatally-shot-in-driveway\/","title":{"rendered":"15-Year-Old Found Fatally Shot In Driveway"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The body of a gunshot victim discovered Tuesday morning on St. Paul Drive in Winter Haven has been identified as 15-year-old Quashawn Burgess, Jr. of Forrest Drive in Bartow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"691\" height=\"518\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/capture___12174533575.webp?resize=691%2C518&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-35692\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The teen&#8217;s body was discovered around 2:35 a.m. by a woman who was visiting a friend and noticed someone laying in a driveway in the neighborhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said the teen&#8217;s mother thought he was home in bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She told deputies that Quashawn was on the couch playing video games when she&#8217;d gone to sleep around 10 p.m. She awoke around 3 a.m. to tend to her infant and noticed that Quashawn was no longer on the couch. Judd said she assumed he&#8217;d gone to bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Judd held up a photo of Quashawn at age 11.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;He was a good kid, but his mom said as he got older, he got to be a problem,&#8221; said Judd, displaying a second photo showing Quashawn at 15 when he became a documented gang member and began sporting tattoos marking himself as a member of a gang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Judd said he dropped out of school and was arrested twice on eight charges, including burglary and resisting arrest, since May.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;His mom is a good lady. She goes to church. She was trying her best. Quashawn grew up and he started getting into trouble. He had tattoos and was a documented gang member, but he was still a 15-year-old child and his mother and his family loved him very much,&#8221; Judd said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fpolkcountysheriff%2Fvideos%2F1366654237285683%2F%3Fref%3Dembed_video&#038;show_text=0&#038;width=560\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" style=\"border:none;overflow:hidden\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowFullScreen=\"true\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;We believe whoever murdered Quashawn knew him,&#8221; Judd said. &#8220;When you run with shooters, they turn the gun on you sometimes, and apparently that&#8217;s what happened last night.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Judd said he&#8217;ll be asking hard questions of the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.djj.state.fl.us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Florida Department of Juvenile Justice<\/a>&nbsp;probation department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Quashawn was on probation, and Judd said if the probation department had been doing its job, Quashawn would have been sent to a detention center for violating probation by failing to attend school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;If they had violated him and put him in juvenile detention, then he wouldn&#8217;t have been on the streets and gotten murdered last night,&#8221; Judd said. &#8220;Those hard questions will be asked later, and we hope there was some resonable reason that a VOP (violation of probation) was not done and Quashawn was not arrested.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He added that Quashawn&#8217;s story isn&#8217;t unique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Gang violence is on the rise across the nation, and Polk County is no exception,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Heartland Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward of $5,000 that leads to an arrest in the case. Call 1-800-226 TIPS (8477) or submit a tip on the&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.heartlandcrimestoppers.com\/?fbclid=IwAR24cJyMSgCK3rC1ozIGQvjbxicoUYeL0L8DzVJop6wpEMU0HWOhc09Snzk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">website.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The body of a gunshot victim discovered Tuesday morning on St. Paul Drive in Winter Haven has been identified as 15-year-old Quashawn Burgess, Jr. of Forrest Drive in Bartow. 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