On Thursday, Feb 23, nineteen-year-old Keon Martavious Thornhillwas booked into a correctional center and charged with murder with a weapon in the second degree.
According to the arrest affidavit, police were called to a home in Opa-Locka, Florida, where they found Thornhill outside claiming that his sister was bleeding inside.
Upon entering the house, the officers discovered Brianna with a gunshot wound in her face.
The family later identified the victim as Brianna, Thornhill’s fourteen-year-old sister.
Initially, Thornhill told the police that his sister had shot herself; however, he eventually admitted to shooting her.
When taken to Miami-Dade Police Department headquarters, the nineteen-year-old gave several versions of the incident. He first claimed that his sister took the gun and shot herself in the face but Thornhill eventually confessed.
According to reports, he told police that it began with a verbal disagreement that led him to retrieving his gun. After confessing to the horrific shooting, he told police, “I shot her. It was a mistake. Take me in.”
Brianna’s mother expressed her grief, saying that she was a wonderful person and that her daughter meant the world to them.