Family remembers 14-year-old killed in St. Pete shooting as police arrest 3 teens

The family of 14-year-old Gaige Santos-Brown is grieving the loss of a son and brother after a deadly shooting in St. Petersburg and says they hope his death brings attention to the impact of teen gun violence.

A memorial now marks the spot where Gaige was shot and killed Friday evening.

“It’s unimaginable,” said Selna Abbot, Gaige’s sister. “He was a baby.”

Gaige’s sisters described him as outgoing, energetic and someone people naturally gravitated toward.

“He was very charming, very charismatic, so full of personality, so full of energy, just someone that you wanted to be around,” Abbot said.

Abbey Brown said some of her favorite memories with her younger brother happened in the kitchen.

“Me and Gaige bonded over cooking,” Brown said. “He’d get me out of bed and tell me, ‘Sis, come cook something.’”

According to St. Petersburg police, the shooting happened just after 6:30 p.m. Friday. Investigators said Gaige met up with three others at Shadyside Market when some kind of argument broke out.

“This is all a very sad situation because no child should be anywhere near a firearm,” said Ashley Limardo with the St. Pete Police Department.

Police said a 16-year-old was taken into custody over the weekend and charged with felony murder. Two other suspects, a 15-year-old and a 16-year-old, were arrested Tuesday afternoon.

Gaige’s family said the violence has devastated not only their family, but the families of the suspects as well.

“It’s just senseless,” Abbott said. “It’s hard to imagine that kids can get ahold of these weapons and then use them and not completely understand exactly what they’re doing.”

“A split-second decision is now ruining four different families’ lives,” she added.

Now, the family hopes something positive can come from the tragedy and says they want to eventually create programs that help keep teens away from violence.

“We have to get our kids off of the street, into some sort of program, be it sports or a leadership program,” Abbott said.

For now, though, the family is focused on remembering Gaige.

“He was a sweet little boy,” said his father, Rufus Brown.

Brown also had a message for those responsible for his son’s death: “Bring them to justice.”

The family has set up a fundraiser to help with funeral expenses.