Florida Woman Charged With Helping Her Juvenile Son Flee Shooting Scene

A Florida woman is facing charges for allegedly helping her juvenile son evade law enforcement after he allegedly shot another juvenile.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said Cindy Mishelle Paniagua, 37, was arrested Wednesday and charged with accessory after the fact. Her 15-year-old son has been charged with attempted murder and aggravated battery using a deadly weapon in connection with the shooting last month.

Deputies responded to a report of shots fired at Key Largo Community Park in Key Largo at around 9:50 p.m. on March 8. When they arrived, no one with knowledge of the 911 call could be found at the scene. A short time later, a 16-year-old boy was treated at Mariners Hospital in Tavernier for “a minor/grazing gunshot wound to the hand as well as injuries to his legs from cell phone shrapnel caused by a bullet,” the sheriff’s office said. The victim was later airlifted to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital in Miami.

Clothes matching the suspect’s description and a wallet with identifying information were later recovered from a nearby canal by the sheriffs office dive team.

Investigators learned that Paniagua picked up her son after the shooting and allegedly helped him flee the area. Multiple witnesses told investigators that she “refused to contact law enforcement knowing her son shot the other juvenile and instructed others to not call 911 or notify law enforcement,” the sheriff’s office said.

The sheriff’s office said a fight over a girl may have led to the shooting.

“This young man potentially ruined his life by attempting to take another life and sadly his mother tried to help him get away with it,” Sheriff Rick Ramsay said in a statement. “Mrs. Paniagua is a bad example for other parents and her actions only made the situation worse.”