Radrick Francois: Florida man arrested for fatally shooting mother and grandmother of his 2-yr-old daughter
ORANGE COUNTY, FLORIDA: A 20-year-old man, identified as Radrick Francois, shot and killed the mother and grandmother of his two-year-old daughter on Friday morning, April 14 at an apartment complex west of Pine Hills. The deceased were identified as 20-year-old Tanga Owens and her mother, 39-year-old Tanishia Starr.
According to Yahoo!, police responded to the crime scene at around 11.30 am on April 14 at the Lake Sherwood apartments in the 1700 block of London Crest Drive. Upon arrival, they found the mother-daughter duo with gunshot wounds in a car. They were rushed to the hospital where they were pronounced dead.
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What happened?
Surveillance video captured Francois, who was in a Sesame Street Count Dracula sweatshirt, talking to the two women in the car. He then fired shots into the car and fled from the scene with an uninjured 18-month-old baby, according to the affidavit, reports Fox News. Owens' eight-month-old son was also in the car at the time.
ARRESTED: Radrick Francois, 20, for the 4/14 shooting deaths of mother & daughter Tanishia Starr, 39 & Tanga Owens, 20, in a car on London Crest Dr.
— Orange County Sheriff's Office (@OrangeCoSheriff) April 15, 2023
Francois was in a custody battle with Owens & previously threatened to kill her. Two small children in the car were unharmed. pic.twitter.com/QYKEhqHapR
Arrest of Radrick Francois
The police identified Francois, who lived at the same apartment complex, as a suspect. Family members of the deceased said Owens and Francois were in an ongoing child custody battle and that he previously threatened to kill Owens, who is the mother of the child he fled with. Francois allegedly confessed to the attack after his arrest but claimed that he shot Owens, who was armed, in self-defense and accidentally shot Starr. There is no information on whether Francois and Owens were married or not. Francois is facing two counts of first-degree murder and is at the Orange County Jail without bond.
Commenting on the incident, Robert Reed, a resident of that area who stayed there for years, said, "I was just taken aback. You know, I mean, it was a shock when I realized it was this place, you know. Because it's not what I would expect to happen in the area. It's not what I would expect to happen in this particular complex." And continued to say, "This area is pretty safe. People out walking early in the morning, late at night with no fear. Because we don't normally have to worry about certain types of activities taking place."
The resident that it was tragic that the attack took place but said it was a relief that the suspect was in custody. He said, "Closure. Because people who are not accustomed to that, that's fear. But then, when they found out that they had a suspect and they knew who he was and they took him into custody, people relax. People breathe easier."