16-year-old barges into sleepover, kills teen and stabs adult, Florida sheriff says

A Saturday night sleepover turned into a life-and-death struggle when a 16-year-old boy burst through a door and began stabbing people, according to investigators in central Florida.

A 15-year-old boy was killed and an adult was seriously injured, the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office reports. A third person was threatened but escaped harm, officials said.

It happened just after 10 p.m. on June 1 at a home in Wildwood, about a 50-mile drive northwest from Orlando.

“The incident occurred during a sleepover the juvenile victim was having. The suspect (who was known to the victim) arrived unannounced and ‘banged’ on the door,” Undersheriff Pat Breeden said in a video posted on Facebook.

“Upon entry, the suspect stabbed the juvenile victim (Connor Michael Gill) and threatened a third victim. The adult victim came to inspect what was going on and was also stabbed by the suspect.”

The two victims were airlifted to a hospital where Gill died just after 1 a.m. Sunday, officials said. The 48-year-old adult remains in stable condition at an intensive care unit, Breeden said.

Investigators say the defendant, 16-year-old Alexander Warren Hernandez, fled on foot and was located with the help of a sheriff’s office helicopter.

“Alexander was still in possession of the murder weapons at the time of his arrest,” Breeden said. “This was no doubt a premeditated and targeted attack.”

Detectives discovered the weapons were purchased online May 30 and arrived Saturday, officials said. The defendant “played with them for a little bit,” then walked nearly six miles to the victim’s home and carried out the attack, Breeden said.

The defendant and victim knew each other, but the motive remains a mystery, officials said.

“Both juveniles (victim and suspect) had withdrawn from Sumter County Schools and were being home schooled,” the sheriff’s office said.

Hernandez has been charged with “premeditated first-degree murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill, and armed burglary,” officials said.

This story was originally published June 3, 2024 at 10:10 AM with the headline "16-year-old barges into sleepover, kills teen and stabs adult, Florida sheriff says."