Jonathan Velasquez shoots dead Florida neighbor, Robert Hugh-Patrick Gray after fearing domestic violence dispute with the man’s girlfriend would escalate. Was never threatened.
A Florida man has been charged with murder after shooting dead a Montclair Way neighbor on Christmas Day after hearing him fighting with his girlfriend.
Arrested with the murder of Robert Hugh-Patrick Gray, 38 was Jonathan Velasquez, 24.
ClickOrlando reported upon his hearing on Thursday- Velasquez being denied bail.
Velasquez was visiting a home he often stays at in Kissimmee on Christmas when he heard two neighboring residents- Gray and his girlfriend Taniqua Kales arguing in their backyard.
The man told deputies he went outside for a drink – whereupon he observed Kales slap Gray in their backyard and go into their house. Gray allegedly responded by smashing the glass sliding door and entering the home.
Velasquez said that he feared the argument would escalate.
In turn- Velasquez told investigators running into the home where he was staying, grabbing his gun, then firing a shot into the ground and ordering Gray to get out of the house, according to his arrest report.
Gray was unarmed and told Velasquez that he was on his own property and he began to walk towards Velasquez, who hid behind a tree in the backyard.
As Gray walked toward him, Velasquez called 911.
When they were about 10 feet apart from each other, Velasquez fired two shots at Gray.
Gray was rushed to Poinciana Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
Velasquez told deputies he was never threatened and never saw a weapon.
He ‘took it upon himself to retrieve his gun prior to calling 911’, according to the arrest affidavit.
Robert Hugh-Patrick Gray and Taniqua Kales: A history of domestic violence.
Gray’s girlfriend Kales, with whom he shares a 10-month-old son, told investigators that they were not arguing prior to the incident.
‘His side is wrong. We were not fighting and arguing. We was not fighting or arguing at all,’ she said told via Click Orlando.
‘My son has no dad now,’ she added.
Despite the girlfriend’s claims- records show Kales and Gray having a history of domestic violence.
Five months ago Gray was arrested by Osceola deputies after his girlfriend called 911 and said he hit her over the head and pulled her by her hair in an argument, according to WFTV.
Kales has since moved away from the home on Montclair Way after the shooting, saying it’s too painful to live there after her boyfriend’s death.
Police released the 911 calls that Kales and a witness made after Gray was shot. However Velasquez’s 911 call hasn’t been released.
In Kales’ five-minute call she says she’s on the floor with Gray.
‘Come, come, come. One of the next door neighbors shot him,’ she said.
‘The guy across the street shot him for no (expletive) reason,’ she added.
After the shooting Velasquez remained on the scene and cooperated with investigators.
A GoFundMe page has been created to help cover Gray’s funeral expenses.
Jonathan Velasquez mother defends son: ‘My son isn’t a criminal.’
Velasquez’s mother has since defended her son as a ‘good kid’ and ‘not a criminal’.
‘I’ve been though domestic violence myself. He does not like it. He hates it. He must have just wanted to help. I don’t think it was his intention to kill anybody,’ mother Rosaura Ventos told via Fox35.
Ventos said she believes Velasquez tried to intervene in Gray and Kales argument after growing up seeing his mom deal with domestic violence.
‘He’s traumatized. That’s what it is. He’s never been in any sort of trouble or nothing… He thought he was doing the right thing, defending the person,‘ she said.
‘It hurts me to see the other person lost his son, his child. His children lost his parent, but it could have been prevented by not taking your business outside and scream and yell for help,’ she added.
