On July 29, 2026, at approximately 4:55 p.m., emergency personnel responded to the 5500 block of Old Cheney Highway in Orlando, Florida, where a teenage girl had been shot in the head. She was transported to a hospital, where she later died.
The victim was identified as 17-year-old Skyler Ley'Shea Bradford.
According to court documents, a neighbor heard a woman screaming inside the apartment before knocking on the door. Approximately one minute later, 19-year-old Jehovah Mitchell opened the door and allegedly said his girlfriend had shot herself.
Investigators said Mitchell dragged Bradford downstairs, where the neighbor began performing CPR. The neighbor told detectives Mitchell then ran behind the apartment building before returning.
Inside the apartment, investigators reported finding signs of a physical struggle, including overturned televisions and fans. Two bullet holes were also discovered in separate walls.
The neighbor said Bradford and Mitchell had been arguing loudly for approximately two weeks before the shooting. Family and friends also described Mitchell as possessive and abusive toward Bradford.
Mitchell told investigators Bradford had become upset after finding videos on his phone showing him having sex with other women.
According to the arrest affidavit, Mitchell claimed Bradford removed a gun from her purse, pointed it at him and threatened to harm him. He said they both grabbed the weapon during a struggle and it discharged upward before Bradford allegedly shot herself in the head moments later.
Mitchell allegedly admitted taking the gun from Bradford’s hand and throwing it behind the apartment building because he was not thinking clearly. Investigators searched the area with him but were unable to locate the firearm.
On July 30, Mitchell was arrested on one count of tampering with or fabricating evidence. He has since been released on bond.
Bradford’s mother, Rodnesha Speed, disputes Mitchell’s account and said her daughter had recently graduated from high school one year early and planned to become a respiratory therapist.
Mitchell has not been charged in Bradford’s death.
The investigation remains ongoing.
