15-Year-Old Found Fatally Shot In Winter Haven Driveway

WINTER HAVEN, FL — The body of a gunshot victim discovered Tuesday morning on St. Paul Drive in Winter Haven has been identified as 15-year-old Quashawn Burgess, Jr. of Forrest Drive in Bartow.

The teen's body was discovered around 2:35 a.m. by a woman who was visiting a friend and noticed someone laying in a driveway in the neighborhood.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said the teen's mother thought he was home in bed.

She told deputies that Quashawn was on the couch playing video games when she'd gone to sleep around 10 p.m. She awoke around 3 a.m. to tend to her infant and noticed that Quashawn was no longer on the couch. Judd said she assumed he'd gone to bed.

Judd held up a photo of Quashawn at age 11.

"He was a good kid, but his mom said as he got older, he got to be a problem," said Judd, displaying a second photo showing Quashawn at 15 when he became a documented gang member and began sporting tattoos marking himself as a member of a gang.

Judd said he dropped out of school and was arrested twice on eight charges, including burglary and resisting arrest, since May.

"His mom is a good lady. She goes to church. She was trying her best. Quashawn grew up and he started getting into trouble. He had tattoos and was a documented gang member, but he was still a 15-year-old child and his mother and his family loved him very much," Judd said.

"We believe whoever murdered Quashawn knew him," Judd said. "When you run with shooters, they turn the gun on you sometimes, and apparently that's what happened last night."

Judd said he'll be asking hard questions of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice probation department.

Quashawn was on probation, and Judd said if the probation department had been doing its job, Quashawn would have been sent to a detention center for violating probation by failing to attend school.

"If they had violated him and put him in juvenile detention, then he wouldn't have been on the streets and gotten murdered last night," Judd said. "Those hard questions will be asked later, and we hope there was some resonable reason that a VOP (violation of probation) was not done and Quashawn was not arrested."

He added that Quashawn's story isn't unique.

"Gang violence is on the rise across the nation, and Polk County is no exception," he said.

Heartland Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward of $5,000 that leads to an arrest in the case. Call 1-800-226 TIPS (8477) or submit a tip on the website.