A Florida man shot his half-brother on Christmas Day, Dec. 25, because of a lost smartphone. On Tuesday, Dec. 26, prosecutors and law enforcement officials confirmed that the victim died.
The criminal was identified as 28-year-old Kendall Yarborough, a Tampa-area resident. Meanwhile, the half-brother he killed was identified as James Watson.
Law enforcement authorities shared other details explaining how the petty family issue turned into a gruesome crime on Christmas Day, which was supposed to be a time of giving and loving.
Florida: Man Shoots Half-Brother on Christmas Day
DuPage County Sheriff's deputies said that they were called to a residence at around 3:00 p.m. because of an alleged shooting. They responded to the call at an unincorporated Naperville house.
According to CBS News' latest report, the residence is located in the 25W0-100 block of Wood Court. When they arrived at the crime scene, they were surprised to find out that James Watson was already lying on the floor.
Officers said that Watson had a gunshot to the abdomen. Responders immediately took him to a local hospital. Unfortunately, he was pronounced dead by medical staff.
"On Christmas day, James Watson lost his life after his half-brother, Kendall Yarborough allegedly shot him in the abdomen while James was looking for his cell phone," said DuPage County State's Attorney Bob Berlin via Fox News.
He added that the "senseless act of violence" that the Florida man did "will not go unpunished."
Half-Brother Killed Over Lost Cell Phone
Investigators explained how a petty family issue turned into a gruesome crime on Christmas Day. They said that James Watson was downstairs when he was looking for his cell phone.
Since he couldn't find his gadget, the victim became upset. Watson allegedly slammed a card table on the floor because of his anger. On the other hand, Kendall Yarborough was upstairs when his half-brother's tantrums were happening.
A few moments later, Kendall decided to go downstairs and shoot his half-brother in the stomach. Law enforcement authorities said that they found a 9mm Sig Sauer P-365X handgun, as well as a shell casing in the crime scene.
"It is horrible that a tragedy occurred on Christmas," said DuPage County Sheriff James Kendrick.
"It goes to show that domestic violence can occur in any home and that's why we take domestic-related incidents seriously at the DuPage County Sheriff's Office," he added.
