Bradley Hulett shooting: 17-year-old suspect to enter pre-trial intervention program, avoid jail
TAMPA, Fla. - The parents of Bradley Hulett say they never wanted the teen who fatally shot their son to face a long prison sentence, which led to a "resolution" for the young suspect to enter a pre-trial intervention program.
The trial for Christopher "Ramsey" Bevan, 17, was initially set for February 2022. He was 15 when he was charged with manslaughter for killing his friend Bradley.
But a meeting last month changed everything for Ramsey.
State Attorney Andrew Warren says the Huletts wanted to meet with Ramsey and hear directly from him exactly what happened on the afternoon of December 13, 2019, and they also wanted Ramsey to help raise awareness with kids about gun safety.
They came to an agreement, that instead of facing prison time, Ramsey must now complete an extensive pretrial intervention program, also called PTI, which involves mental health treatment, drug and alcohol evaluation, 150 hours of community service, maintaining full-time school or employment, not possessing a weapon, drugs, or alcohol and, most importantly, remaining arrest-free.
"Typically, the supervision lasts three months. Bevan will be under supervision for three years, although he will be eligible for early termination after 18 months if he completes all the sanctions. If he completes all of the requirements, the charges will ultimately be dismissed," explained Warren.
Christopher "Ramsey" Bevan
Ramsey, who has not been in jail since bonding out in March 2020, has agreed to serve his community service hours working side by side with Bradley’s parents. Bradley’s mother Meagan said they were less concerned about sending Ramsey to prison and more concerned about repairing the bond with their son’s friend and ensuring positive change comes from this entire ordeal.
"We never wanted to see Ramsey spend a lengthy amount of time in jail," she said Tuesday during the press conference. "All we ever wanted, from the beginning, was for all involved to take responsibility for their part in the death of our son. A few apologies would have went a long way."
Meagan placed blame on the company SigSauer, for producing a "defective weapon." In her comments, the family also blamed Tampa police officer Edwin Perez for not securing his weapon, the officer's son for getting the gun, and Bevan for holding the gun.
In the end, they said they couldn't have Ramsay pay the price when he held the gun for "three to five seconds." Instead, they said he will help spread the message of gun safety awareness.
"It is very hard for us to think of living the rest of our lives preaching ‘kindness matters’ and then not practicing that given the opportunity," Meagan said. "His life can help save others."
Ramsey's case will be taken off the active court docket pending the completion of the program, which the Department of Corrections will oversee.
What happened the night of the shooting?
The shooting occurred on Dec. 13, 2019. Four teenage boys were at the home of Officer Perez, whose son was Bradley’s best friend.
While Bradley played video games on a computer, the three others wandered off.
One of the boys, identified as "TT," explained in a police interview, the three others became distracted when Ramsey clogged the bathroom toilet.
Bradley Hulett
"We head into the bathroom to look for a plunger but we did not find a plunger and he sees his dad’s gun sitting there on top of like a little table thing in the corner of the bathroom and picks it up and he says, ‘Let’s go scare Bradley,’" recalled TT. "Ramsey says, ‘Put it behind his neck so he gets scared,’ so they leave."
"I trail behind them," TT continued, "and I follow them into a room and as I’m walking there, I hear Bradley say 'Oh that’s real,' then I walk into the room and Ramsey has the gun and he’s like playing with it and then he says, ‘What if it’s loaded,’ and then it went off and hit Bradley."
Victim's sister claims inappropriate conduct caused rift between friends
Christopher Ramsey Bevan is accused of pointing a loaded gun at the back of his friend's head. The gun went off, killing 15 year old Bradley Hulett. New evidence from the victim's little sister shows there may have been bad blood between the friends before that tragic night.
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Later, TT tells investigators Officer Perez's son was in a rush to hide evidence before deputies arrived.
"He talks about hiding the vape pens before police get there," explained attorney Anthony Rickman.
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However, TT insisted the boys were not high at the time of the shooting.
Months after the shooting, Ramsey was charged with manslaughter.