Two central Florida women have been arrested in the fatal shooting of a photographer, which police say was livestreamed on social media.
Savon Chantay Tyler, 35, is accused of fatally shooting Lauren Ashley Martin, 34, near an apartment complex in Sanford, just north of Orlando, on Tuesday night.
Stanford Police Department
Alleged shooter Savon Chantay Tyler charged in ‘livestreamed homicide’ of Florida photographer.
According to the Sanford Police Department, Martin drove to Tyler’s home to discuss an “ongoing argument” over photos she took of Tyler. The two women got into a verbal disagreement, which then escalated to physical violence.
“During the altercation, Tyler shot Lauren multiple times,” police said in a news release.
When Tyler saw Martin arriving at her residence, she armed herself with a “children’s miniature baseball bat” and a “9mm sky handgun,” reported local NBC affiliate WESH, citing court records.
When first responders arrived at the scene, they located the victim “lying in the roadway.” She was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Tyler was arrested Wednesday and charged with first-degree homicide. She has pleaded not guilty to the charge, Fox 35 Orlando reported.
On Friday, Sanford police announced the arrest of a second woman in connection to the murder.
Lakevia Davonna Pringle, 31, is accused of being “present during the altercation which she livestreamed to social media.”
Pringle, described by the Miami Herald as Tyler’s girlfriend, was also heard “encouraging Tyler to continue the altercation,” police said in a news release.
In the videos, which can no longer be found online, Pringle tells Tyler to “fire [Martin’s] a– up,” according to the Orlando Sentinel.
Pringle refused to cooperate with investigators for three days, but on Friday the Seminole County State Attorney’s Office issued a warrant for her arrest.
She was taken into custody and charged with principal in the first degree to first-degree premeditated homicide, police said. It’s not clear if she has entered a plea.
“What started the argument between these two won’t be remembered, but the loss of Lauren will forever be with her family and friends,” Police Chief Cecil Smith said in a statement. “There are choices other than violence.”
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