Armando Cortez was 16 when he was shot and killed on December 24, 2007, after leaving a Quinceañera at the Carver Recreation Center in Bartow, Florida. After dropping off his girlfriend and parking behind Union Academy Magnet School, he was attacked by a group of about ten people who reportedly believed he belonged to a rival gang. The group beat him with weapons including baseball bats before 16-year-old Jonathan Homesley approached and shot Armando five times. Armando was not involved in gang activity; investigators say he was a mistaken target.

Homesley, from Tampa, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. Police identified him as a member of the Norte 14 gang, a group unfamiliar to Bartow officers prior to this killing. Armando’s family described relief at the arrest but remained devastated by the loss.

What information might help explain how a local celebration turned deadly, and does anyone have details about witnesses or the events inside the venue that night?