Prosecutors have dropped the criminal case against a 17-year-old boy accused of fatally shooting another teen on New Year’s Eve in Fort Lauderdale.

The boy said he shot 17-year-old Joshua Gipson in self-defense, according to a February no-file memo from the Broward State Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors concluded that the evidence supported his claim.

The boy and Gipson knew one another from TikTok, according to the memo. For a month prior to the shooting, they had “expressed distaste” for one another online due to the neighborhoods they lived in.

Then, on New Year’s Eve, Gipson and the boy were both at Fort Lauderdale Beach with their own groups of friends, according to the memo. When the two groups crossed paths, Gipson yelled the boy’s nickname and made a gesture indicating he had a gun.

Later in the night, Gipson’s group encountered one of the boy’s friends near the bathroom by the beach while the boy was inside, according to the memo. They attacked the friend, then went across the street, found another of the boy’s friends, and attacked him as well.

The boy, meanwhile, emerged from the bathroom alone and saw the second attack take place across the street, according to the memo. As the boy descended the stairs, Gipson and his group spotted him and began to walk towards him. As Gipson and his friends surrounded the boy, the boy told Gipson to “get back,” but he continued to move towards him while reaching for his waistband. The boy pulled out his own gun and fired twice before running away, while Gipson’s group fired after him.

Video evidence later confirmed that Gipson was carrying a gun and showed him passing the gun to one of his friends after he was shot, according to the memo.

“The evidence presented suggests that Joshua Gibson was armed, made threats towards [the boy], attacked two of his friends and within a minute, advanced on [him] while reaching into his waistband, despite warnings to stop,” prosecutors wrote. “Under these circumstances, pursuant to § 782.02 of the Florida Statutes, [the boy] was justified in using deadly force.”