As if this year’s first day of school wasn’t already atypical enough this year, an elementary school student was on Zoom when her mother was shot and killed during the virtual class, police said.
The shooting happened Tuesday at the student’s home just after 8 a.m., NBC News reported.
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The suspect, Donald J. Williams, 27, was taken into custody that same day and now faces charges of first-degree murder among other felony offenses, Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said.
NBC News reports there were six children, ranging in age from 10 to 17, at the home during the time of the shooting.
According to NBC News, the teacher of a 10-year-old girl who was participating in an online class on Zoom witnessed her reacting to the shooting.
“The teacher’s online — I’ve never done a Zoom with children, so I’m picturing there’s other children on — and the teacher can see the children. The teacher said she heard a commotion, heard profanity,” Snyder said during a news conference on Tuesday. “Realized there was some type of domestic altercation. Still could see the child that’s online. The teacher said she mutes her button so nobody has to hear it and then she sees the 10-year-old put her hands up to her ears.”
Snyder said that almost immediately after the girl put her hands up to her ears, the computer screen went black. The sheriff confirmed the computer was hit with a projectile, NBC News reports.
According to the report, Snyder said investigators believe there was an argument between Williams and the girl’s mother, Maribel Rosado-Morales, whom he had previously dated.
“He went in and confronted her with something to do with a video,” Synder said. “And then later we learned there was a conversation about Facebook. He said she actually started to smile at him and he became enraged and shot her.”
According to NBC News, Rosado-Morales, 32, was shot multiple times and died at a hospital, the sheriff said.
None of the children — four of whom are Rosado-Morales’ children and two cousins — were injured during the incident.
According to NBC News, Williams was identified as the suspect after the driver of the bus he was on became suspicious and called 911.
Snyder said a gun was found in a bag on the bus and Williams “made a full confession.”