Hillsborough deputies investigating fatal shooting

THONOTOSASSA, Fla. - The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office is investigating the shooting death of a man at a home in Thonotosassa.

A witness who lived in the home on Timmons Road called deputies just before noon Monday after the shooting occurred.

Deputies say they believe the shooter, who also lived at the home, and the victim were cousins.

Deputies identified the victim as Diquan Mills, 23 and the suspect as Darrell Gadson, 38.

Detectives were still interviewing the suspect Monday afternoon and have not yet released the cause of the altercation.

They spent the evening gathering evidence.

Family members of Diquan Mills have the same question as deputies.

"We want to know why it happened," said Kizzey Reed, Mills' aunt.

Records from North Dakota show his wife filed for divorce last month.

Reed spoke to us by phone, and says family was concerned Gadson was struggling with the psychological aftereffects of a military career.

"You can't blame anyone too much, because blaming someone is just going to cause more hurt and more pain," she said.

She says Mills first went to check on Gadson, and was not aware of any ongoing disputes.

Deputies say they aren't sure why things boiled over, but said the shooting was not in self-defense.
 

Gadson is facing second-degree murder charges.

"It's tragic anytime there is a homicide but much less when it involves family members, people that knew and maybe grew up and were related," said Col. Donna Lusczynski of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. "We have to go through that history. It is still pretty early in our investigation."

Deputies are interviewing Gadson, who stayed at the scene with the witness who called 911.

Mills' family says he'd been helping to care for his grandmother, and they will miss his sunny disposition.

"We want him to be remembered as a loving young man who was there for his grandmother and he loved his family in general," said Mills.