16-year-old to be tried as an adult for involvement in McDonald's shooting
A 16-year-old who was arrested for his involvement in a shooting outside a Tallahassee McDonald's that left two people dead will be tried as an adult.
Kylen Welch was arrested June 23, shortly after the shooting in the parking lot of the McDonald's on West Pensacola Street, which happened in broad daylight after an argument at a nearby basketball court.
According to police, Trenton Tompkins, 21, shot an 18-year-old outside the McDonald's, prompting Welch to shoot and kill Tompkins. Welch drove off after the shooting but was arrested not long after as a juvenile on charges of possession of a firearm by a delinquent and tampering with evidence.
On Monday, prosecutors charged Welch as an adult for those two alleged crimes. He has not been charged directly in Tompkins' killing.
The Tallahassee Police Department said after the arrest that Welch acted "in fear for his life" and labeled the shooting a case of Stand Your Ground. But State Attorney Jack Campbell later said that no determination has been made on whether it was self-defense or murder.
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The investigation remains active and ongoing, said Alicia Turner, TPD spokesperson.
The 2005 Stand Your Ground law states that people can use deadly force if they believe it necessary to prevent death or serious bodily harm. However, the law applies only "if the person using or threatening to use the deadly force is not engaged in a criminal activity and is in a place where he or she has a right to be."
The incident began with an argument involving Tompkins, the 18-year-old boy and others on basketball courts next to the Palmer Munroe Teen Center, TPD said in a news release.
An off-duty TPD officer saw the argument and went to speak with the group, but the parties fled before he could reach them. Welch, the 16-year-old boy, Tompkins and others made their way to McDonald's, where the argument continued before gunfire rang out.
Welch was initially arrested on juvenile charges and held at the Juvenile Assessment Receiving Center, according to court records. He was transferred Tuesday to the Leon County Detention Facility.
During his first court appearance later that day, Leon County Judge Stefanie Newlin set bond at $5,000 and a number of conditions for his pretrial release. She ordered Welch to wear a GPS monitoring device, live under a 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. curfew and have no weapons or contact with the victims. Welch bonded out the same day.
This is a breaking story. Check back for more updates.
Elena Barrera can be reached at ebarrera@tallahassee.com. Follow her on Twitter @elenabarreraaa.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: 16-year-old to be tried as an adult for involvement in McDonald's shooting
