A 23-year-old Florida mother of two was shot and killed and her boyfriend was wounded by a gunman while they were involved in filming a rap video depicting a staged kidnapping and fake blood early Monday morning.
Haley Portner Cox suffered a fatal gunshot wound to her cheek and her boyfriend, Erik Bronowski, 22, was injured after police say they were shot by 20-year-old Jordan Jaime Silver.
Silver has been charged with second degree murder and attempted murder. He was booked into jail by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
Cox and Bronowski visited the Wimauma, Florida, home of Giovinie Bosques and his girlfriend on Sunday evening, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Haley Portner Cox, 23, was shot dead while helping to film a rap video early on Monday morning in Hillsborough County, Florida, according to police
Her boyfriend, Erik Bronowski (left), suffered gunshot wounds to the chest and thigh. He survived
Bronowski told police that he and his girlfriend were shot by Jordan Jaime Silver, 20, of Brandon, Florida
Silver, who was a friend of Bosques, eventually arrived with a black semiautomatic handgun that had what looked like a laser pointer attached to it, according to police.
The four then left the house and drove in Bosques’ girlfriend’s Kia Optima sedan to an easement in Southfork Lakes.
Police said they took water bottles filled with fake blood and a Canon camera that they were going to use to film a rap video with a staged kidnapping scene.
‘Mr. Bosques advised the rap video was based on a staged kidnapping of himself, and all parties involved were aware the video was theatrical in nature,’ the police report says.
‘Mr. Bosques advised there was never a mention of shooting anyone.’
Police said they have video footage showing the moment Cox was fatally shot
Investigators said Cox’s body was found with a gunshot wound to her cheek
Investigators who reviewed the footage recovered from the Canon camera said that at one point Silver was seen holding his weapon.
Toward the end of the video footage, Silver was behaving ‘erratically,’ according to police.
Bosques and Bronowski later told investigators that Silver was pacing and hiding behind the bushes for no reason while they were trying to film the video.
In another video clip, Bosques and Bronowski are seen putting fake blood on Bosques.
Cox is believed to have been holding the camera. Police said she can be heard asking how she should hold it.
At that point, a gunshot is heard and the camera falls to the ground.
Bosques then picks up the camera and starts to run.
According to police, Bosques asks Silver why he did that.
‘I don’t know,’ Silver replied. ‘We gotta go.’
Bosques, who is still holding the camera, stops running. He and Silver then get into an argument about leaving the area.
‘Why’d you do that?’ Bosques asks Silver again.
Moments later, three more gunshots are heard.
‘No!’ Bosques yells repeatedly. He then appears to drop the camera.
Cox leaves behind two young children ages 3 and 4
Bosques later told police that he was putting fake blood on himself and Cox was holding the camera.
When he heard a gunshot, he turned around and saw Cox lying on the ground. Bosques told investigators he saw Silver holding a handgun.
According to Bosques, he and Bronowski then ran toward the Kia.
That’s when Bosques alleges that Silver fired a gunshot at Bronowski.
Bosques told investigators he ran into a nearby neighborhood and started knocking on several doors.
He said he wanted to get one of the residents to call the police.
Bosques was able to get a resident of a home on Leland Groves Drive to open the door.
Police reviewed surveillance footage from that home. It is said to show Bosques knocking on the door.
Silver is then seen coming up behind him. He is not wearing a shirt and appears to be out of breath, according to police.
Bosques tells Silver he’s calling the police. Silver then runs away.
Back at the scene, Bronowski called 911 and told a dispatcher that he and his girlfriend were shot in a field.
The call was placed at 3:59am on Monday.
Bronowski suffered gunshot wounds to the chest and thigh.
While interviewed by detectives at Tampa General Hospital, Bronowski said he was taking part in a video shoot with Bosques and Silver.
Bronowski said he first met Silver that same morning. He confirmed to police that Silver shot him and Cox, according to investigators.
When police arrived to Leland Groves Drive, they found Silver hiding under a cooking grill in the backyard of a home.
A GoFundMe page was started to help Cox’s family
Silver told detectives he was paid $30 to help with the music video when he heard gunshots.
‘When given multiple opportunities to explain his involvement, he denied knowing any of the people he was doing the rap video with,’ the police report says.
Silver also denied holding a gun or shooting anyone, despite video footage showing him carrying a weapon.
Silver’s bond was set at $502,000.
Cox is survived by her two young children – a four-year-old daughter and a three-year-old son.
‘She will never get to see her two beautiful babies grow up nor will they have her throughout life,’ Cyndi Viverito, a relative of Cox, wrote in a Facebook post.
‘Our family is hurting beyond comprehension for such a beautiful soul to be gone so soon in such a violent way.’
Loved ones launched a GoFundMe for Cox.