KEY LARGO, Fla. – A Miami-Dade County mother faced charges Thursday in Monroe County for allegedly protecting her 15-year-old son after he shot at his romantic rival.
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According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Cindy Paniagua helped her son, Jonathan Valerio, get away from deputies on March 8 in Key Largo.
After the shooting, deputies reported Jonathan ran away leaving behind a 16-year-old victim at about 9:50 p.m., that Saturday, at the Key Largo Community Park.
“Sadly his mother tried to help him get away with it,” Sheriff Rick Ramsay said in a statement adding, “Paniagua is a bad example for other parents and her actions only made the situation worse.”
Paniagua, 37, of Homestead, knew about the shooting, did not contact law enforcement, and instructed others to do the same, according to Adam Linhardt, a spokesman for the MCSO.
The victim suffered a grazing gunshot wound to the hand and injuries to his legs from a cell phone’s shrapnel, according to Linhardt.
First responders took the teenage boy injured to the Mariners Hospital in Tavernier and a helicopter flew him to the HCA Florida Kendall Hospital as a trauma patient, according to Linhardt.
During the investigation, MCSO divers searched a canal near the park and found Jonathan’s wallet, clothing, and other belongings, according to deputies.
Jonathan surrendered to MCSO deputies on March 11 at the Plantation Key jail, and deputies arrested his mother on Wednesday.
Inmate records listed Paniagua’s occupation as “director” and her arrested location as the park where the shooting happened at 500 St. Croix Place.
Paniagua faced a charge of accessory after the fact and her son faced charges of attempted murder and aggravated battery using a deadly weapon.