‘Hard-working’ mom killed by stray bullet while watching fireworks in Florida, family says
UPDATE: Carlos Manuel Tejada, 44, was arrested Jan. 17 and charged with manslaughter by culpable negligence, the Kissimmee Police Department said in a news release.
He is accused of killing Carmen Rosa Neira Ochoa, 56, when he fired shots into the air around midnight on Jan. 1, police said.
The original story continues below.
A Florida woman was watching fireworks when she was killed by what police suspect was “celebratory gunfire” minutes into New Year’s Day, her family told news outlets.
Just after midnight Wednesday, Jan. 1, officers were called to a home in Kissimmee on a report of a person shot, the city’s police department said in a news release.
Authorities said the victim, identified as 56-year-old Carmen Rosa Neira Ochoa, “sustained injuries consistent with a gunshot wound.” She was rushed to a hospital where she was pronounced dead, according to police.
The shooting occurred days before Ochoa’s birthday on Jan. 4.
“She didn’t do anything to anyone,” her son-in-law, Alex Marquez, told Fox 35 Orlando. “She was a hard-working mother.”
Marquez said he and his wife had just dropped Ochoa off at home after dinner that evening, according to WESH. Minutes later, he said his sister-in-law called him with the sad news.
“We have a screen porch by the pool area,” Marquez told WESH, describing the moments before the shooting. “Just like anybody would go out to the porch to take a breath of air, she was just looking at the fireworks. In the blink of an eye she was shot on the floor.”
Javier Prado, who lives in the neighborhood, said he didn’t expect to start the new year with such a tragedy.
“These people have been here for years, and it’s just amazing what just happens from just one blink of an eye, you know,” he told WKMG.
Police didn’t release additional details about the shooting but said the investigation is ongoing.
Kissimmee is about a 20-mile drive south from Orlando.
This story was originally published January 2, 2025 at 5:02 PM with the headline "‘Hard-working’ mom killed by stray bullet while watching fireworks in Florida, family says."