Man Kills Girlfriend, Boy After Argument Over What To Watch On TV

A man accused of killing a woman and her 10-year-old son in Tampa, Florida, told police officers that the two attacked him after an argument over changing a television channel, according to court documents.

Tyrone Terell Johnson, 42, called 911 Sunday evening and said he shot two people after they attacked him. Hillsborough County deputies arrived at 4302 Mariners Cove Court in Tampa and found the woman and boy dead from apparent gunshot wounds. He was arrested immediately.

The woman was his live-in girlfriend and the child was not his biological son.

According to the arrest report, the two engaged in a verbal altercation when he changed the television channel to watch a football game. Johnson then moved to the bedroom to pack his belongings to leave. However, he found it difficult to walk due to a surgery on a foot injured during his time in the military.

Johnson told deputies his girlfriend followed him into the bedroom and continued to verbally berate him. He messaged his father to pick him up the next morning. At that point, he was on a knee roller and his girlfriend pushed him off due to which he fell down on the floor.

Her son approached him and accused him of assaulting his mother. Johnson pushed the child, armed himself with a Glock 22 .40-caliber handgun, and fired at the woman. She was holding a PlayStation game console at the time.

The boy had initially left the bedroom but returned. Johnson then fired at the boy.

Johnson said all the shots were fired inside the master bedroom, however, investigators found gunfire and blood in the child's bedroom. Johnson did not change his statement despite being confronted with the evidence.

Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said there was a history of domestic violence at the home and two calls were made to 911 earlier this year. However, Johnson was not involved in any of the previous incidents. A neighbor was shocked by the incident and said her daughter played with the boy.

“She lost a friend so close to home. She doesn’t know why this happened. If you felt like you had a problem, don’t take it out on the kids. I think that is the saddest thing that can happen to this family,” she told Fox13.

Johnson was booked into the Hillsborough County Jail on Monday on charges including first-degree felony murder, second-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and shooting into or within a building.

Tampa Bay Times reported that Johnson served in the U.S. Marines from 1994 to 1998 and then spent four years in the U.S. Army from 1998 to 2002. During his tenure in the army, he reached the rank of sergeant and was specialized as a cannon crew member.