Underage Drinking, Drug Use Led to Fatal Shooting, Deputies Say
A tragic combination of alcohol, marijuana, K2 and a loaded gun led to the death of a Dunedin teen horsing around with his friends, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.
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Michael Parker, 17, has been arrested and charged with manslaughter in the shooting death of Justin Cleveland, 18, at his Union Street home late Wednesday night.
Cleveland was shot while hanging out with friends, all teenagers, who were drinking alcohol and using marijuana and the synthetic drug K2, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.
"We have kids who should not be using drugs, much less alcohol. They are all young kids well known to deputies in Northern Pinellas," Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said in a news conference Friday afternoon.
On Wednesday night, Parker and Cleveland were hanging out with two teens, who are 17 and 18, Gualtieri said. Earlier that day, those two had met with a 16-year-old from Dunedin who had a gun for sale. The 16-year-old apparently had obtained the firearm from a robbery at an unknown location in Palm Harbor.
The boys traded $125 worth of marijuana for the 9mm gun, which one of the boys apparently wanted for security, the sheriff said.
Teens Were Horsing Around When Gun Went Off
The boys left the teen and went back to Cleveland's Union Street residence, where the sheriff says they smoked marijuana, used K2 and drank alcohol.
"There was a lot of horseplay going on Wednesday evening with the gun," Gualtieri said.
Parker put a round in the chamber. Cleveland had a pipe with K2 in one hand, the sheriff said.
During the horseplay, the magazine was removed from the gun with the thought that it would keep it from firing. There was more bantering, and Parker pulled the trigger, killing Cleveland, the sheriff said.
The boys fled Cleveland's residence in a "panic," Gualtieri said. They drove to Pasco County, disposed of the gun in a pond and agreed not tell anybody, the sheriff said.
Sheriff's Office Got the Tip a Day Later
The weight of what happened was bothering one of the boys. He told his father. The sheriff's office received a call about the Union Street shooting Thursday night around 10:30, the sheriff said.
Detectives found Cleveland sitting at his residence with a gunshot wound to the head. Detectives worked all night on the case, the sheriff said.
Authorities found Parker in Clearwater. After a brief negotiation with the sheriff's office, they arrested Parker and booked him on a manslaughter charge at the Juvenile Assessment Center.
The alcohol was obtained from convenience stores in North Pinellas, and the drugs were purchased on the streets, according to the sheriff's office.
The investigation is ongoing.
Two Have Ties to Neighborhood Duck Shooting
A Sheriff's spokeswoman confirmed both the suspect Michael Parker and the 17-year-old witness are linked to the shooting deaths of two Muscovy ducks on Alamo Lane in November, which sparked a recent citywide debate on BB gun laws.
On Nov. 7, Paloma Lake neighbors said they were disturbed to see four young men in their late teens or early 20s, one carrying a “big brown gun” — discovered to be a pellet gun — shooting at ducks in the neighborhood retention pond.
When deputies were called to the scene, they could not arrest any of the boys because the ducks were an unprotected, invasive species, and no laws against firing pellet guns existed. (Read the full story here.)
As a result of the incident, leaders unanimously agreed to outlaw BB gun use in all public parks, places or right-of-way areas (to include roads, highways or streets) within the city on Thursday.
"We were not aiming or discharging our weapon at your children," a commenter who claimed to be one of the boys involved in the duck shooting wrote in a comment on the November article. "Guns shoot were you tell them and nowhere else."
jennifer naue stewart
7:04 pm on Friday, May 4, 2012
this is the most horrible crime or disaster that has happened with our teens int this town.in many years.,,, i know that things happen and so do accidents.. but lord help this poor kids parents.. i am hurting for them
Zak Priestly Ofwgkta
2:50 am on Wednesday, June 13, 2012
his parents relly dont care as much
jennifer naue stewart
7:19 pm on Friday, May 4, 2012
i know this is horrible i live here on milwaukee ave and i cant believe my son knew these kids... why? why does this go on.? i know i am a single parent and i cant believe how this has had a affect on my son.. see i cant stress to my son enough about this very thing that just happened last night. . . may god be with this boys mother and father,,,,, i know that it wasnt his time to leave this world
Melanie Ditro
8:23 am on Saturday, May 5, 2012
Jennifer, I am sorry for you son's loss of his friend. my son as well was friends with Justin. It has hit him hard. He can't understand why. When are our kids going to learn. We try and teach our kids that drugs and alcohol are bad, and then put a gun in the mix. I can't tell you how many young kids come into our office for drug testing and come up positive. I am hoping that all of our kids have learned and take this to heart. They have lost a friend over being stupid. I feel so sorry for his parents and his close friends.
mary davy
2:43 pm on Saturday, May 5, 2012
Where is Justins funeral going to be?
Maggy Mae
2:57 pm on Saturday, May 5, 2012
The other two boys should be in custody, too. There are plenty of charges they can put against them. Don't let them get away. The State Attorney, Bernie McCabe, make the decision to pursue charges or not. My sympathy to family and friends.
Maggy Mae
9:26 pm on Saturday, May 5, 2012
Here's the contact info to find out about where all the boys are:
Sheriff Bob Gualtieri
Pinellas County Sheriff
727-582-6201
rgualtieri@pcsonet.com
Maggy Mae
8:00 pm on Sunday, May 6, 2012
Would be a service to readers if the editors would follow up on this story and let us know what if anything has been done about all involved in the shooting. It should be a matter of public record and is a public safety issue.
Katie Dolac
10:06 pm on Sunday, May 6, 2012
I am continuing to follow this story, Maggy! Thank you for your interest.
Katie Dolac
2:24 pm on Monday, May 7, 2012
Update: As of 2:23 p.m. on Monday, no new arrests have been made in this investigation. It is still ongoing. I am continuing to track this story and will let you know if anything new develops. Thank you for your continued interest!
Cecilia
9:33 am on Monday, May 7, 2012
What a shame. One child is dead, no doubt leaving devastated parents, and several other CHILDREN with lives that are shattered, because they were there; not to mention the scores of children and their families shoe lives are badly shaken due to having known the victim and the shooters. Please everyone try and remember these are children and this crime touches so many lives. Such a horrible tragedy for all involved, directly and indirectly.
It makes me very sad for our entire community. No matter how we look at it there are a lot of lives (many of them young lives) that will never ever be the same for this having happened.
Jmurillo
11:18 am on Monday, May 7, 2012
I am still in utter disbelief that justin is deceased...I know firsthand what Parker...aka Trey was all about!!! As for this story that Parker was homeless...not true. Somehow he was able to obtain an apt. At 754 main street dunedin florida, with no background check...being 17...and who put the money down for the apt?
Maggy Mae
8:08 pm on Monday, May 7, 2012
Thank you for following up, Katie! This would be a good time for Gualtieri and McCabe to explain how the Pinellas County "justice system" works to protect citizens and penalize lawbreakers. With the election for sheriff coming up, you would think all efforts would be made to do right by the family and by the law. The media is what we have to make all concerned accountable. Hope to see more on this story, soon.
Maggy Mae
10:00 pm on Monday, May 7, 2012
Would really love for Gualtieri to answer the question, "where would you want the other boys if it were your son who had been killed?" Shouldn't those boys at least be in the detention center? Getting counseling, being interviewed? There need to be consequences, but like with so many cases in Pinellas County, McCabe can't be bothered to prosecute, it seems. Looking forward to real answers.
rather not say
1:54 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
The drugs and alcohol had nothing to do with this, im an extremely good friend of one of the boys who where there. And all of these articles are crap. Justin did not have a pipe in one hand and a beer in the other. All of the boys where playing around, though it may have been dumb to play with such a thing, it's nobodys fault but their own. Its hard for everyone right now. It was a pure accident, and you can put this in what ever easy you would like to see this, but all in all it was an accident. Justin was also playing with the gun just like Trey was, it could of been any of those boys who
rather not say
1:56 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Ended up dead. It just happened to end up this way. Its sad, and will stay in those boys minds forever.
rather not say
2:04 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Trey Parker was also not homeless either. He has had his own apartment and two jobs for over a year now. When he was previously arrested for reckless discharge of a firearm, it was in his own home i'm Clearwater, not his families occupied home.
MB
6:46 pm on Thursday, May 10, 2012
I personally know these boys and I know Justin Cleveland, he would not play with a gun. Justin was a type of person that stayed to himself and not get himself involved with stuff like this. This whole situation does not sound right at all. My heart goes out to Justin and his family.
Cecilia
6:59 am on Friday, May 11, 2012
MR and rather not say... I knew none of these boys involved, was not there and therefore have no idea of exactly what happened. I am am sorry though that you both lost some one who was your friend at such a young age. You should not have to be going through this. No matter how it happened you lost a friend and that is hard at any age. What all of you should try and do during this time of grieving, and no doubt there are a lot of you that grieving, is be there for one another and support one another. Talk about it with each other and your families, school guidance counselors... It really helps when you speak with some one who understands what you are feeling - and all of you who were his friends can do that for one another too. Even speaking with friends can really help the hurting you must be feeling.
I am very sorry for your loss. Take care of yourself during this time and remember the good things about your friend - people love to talk and speculate - but just remember the good things, that helps too. The pain lessens as time passes.
Rebel Lambert
3:04 pm on Wednesday, May 16, 2012
I knew Trey and form the moment i met him i knew he was nothing but trouble. and I feel so terrible that a miss hap like this happened. Trey is a bad kid who stole, hurt, and now killed someone. Karma caught up to him and sadly he took someones life who was so young.R.I.P i'll be praying for Justins Family.