Largo man arrested for shooting 12-year-old child standing in front yard, deputies say

LARGO, Fla. (WFLA) — A Largo man was arrested for the shooting of a 12-year-old boy outside of his home on Friday, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.

Around 6:34 p.m., deputies responded to the man’s Largo home, at 15219 Verona Avenue, to find the 12-year-old child with a gunshot wound to his shoulder.

The sheriff’s office said Yancy Crowder, 31, and another male were standing outside the home when Calvert Hart, 31, showed up at the residence.

Crowder went inside, grabbed a firearm, and returned out front, firing shots in Hart’s direction.

The 12-year-old, who was standing in a nearby front yard, was struck by Crowder’s bullet, according to deputies. Crowder and Hart both fled the scene.

The child was taken to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

On Saturday, officials arrested Crowder on three felony warrants in Zephyrhills.

When Pinellas County deputies questioned Crowder about the shooting incident, he admitted to being at the home but denied having a firearm or hearing gunshots. He then told officials that leaving the area before deputies arrived was just “coincidental.”

Crowder was taken to the Pasco County Jail while he awaits a transfer to the Pinellas County Jail. He is charged with aggravated child abuse with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and felon in possession of a firearm.

This remains an ongoing investigation.

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