While many Floridians were still voting around 7:00 p.m. this past November 5, the Sanford Police Department (SPD) was responding to a shooting that was live streamed on social media.
In its first media release published via Facebook regarding the incident, the SPD stated that just after 7:00 p.m., officers responded to a report of a shooting in Greystone Townhomes.
When they arrived, they found 34-year-old Lauren Ashley Martin suffering from multiple gunshot wounds and laying in the middle of the road. She was transported to the hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries.
During the investigation, police discovered that Martin was at the home of 35-year-old Savon Chantay Tyler. Reportedly, Martin had driven to Tyler’s residence over an argument. The women engaged in a verbal altercation that turned physical before Tyler pulled a gun and shot Martin several times.
Soon after, Tyler was taken into police custody and charged with one count of first degree homicide. The SPD says that Tyler was cooperative throughout her arrest.
In response to the situation, Chief Cecil Smith stated “Today, a family is mourning the loss of a loved one, because someone chose to resolve a disagreement with violence. What started the argument between these two won’t be remembered, but the loss of Lauren will forever be with her family and friends. There are choices other than violence”.
In addition, the media release noted that the whole incident was filmed on a social media livestream. The SPD has obtained multiple recordings. At the time of this media release, police believed that this was an isolated incident and that no other suspects were involved.
However, on November 8, the SPD released an update that 31-year-old Lakevia Davonna Pringle was also arrested in connection with Martin’s murder. Police say that Pringle was the one who had live-streamed the whole incident. The SPD reports that Pringle can be heard egging Tyler on in the video, which led to Martin’s murder.
Unlike Tyler, once arrested, Pringle was uncooperative with police. The new media release says that police made a number of attempts to interview her, but she refused to comply.
After consulting with the Seminole County State Attorney’s Office, the authorities determined that Martin’s murder may have been premeditated. Pringle was ultimately charged with “principle in the first degree to first degree premeditated homicide”.
In light of this, Tyler’s charge was also changed to reflect the possibility of premeditation. She has now been charged with “homicide-willful kill murder premeditated” according to the inmate information page on the official website of the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office.
Both Tyler and Pringle are being held in the Seminole County Jail with no bond set. Their court date is scheduled for December 10 at 1:30 p.m.
As the investigation is ongoing, the SPD is encouraging anyone with information regarding this murder to come forward and contact the SPD and Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS (8477) or through www.crimeline.org.
The SPD assures that calls made to Crimeline are kept anonymous and also reminds the general public that anyone who provides a tip to Crimeline that leads to solving a homicide case can be eligible for as much as $5,000 in reward money.
Article by Ema Tibbetts