DeLand, FL - Originally, only one man was facing an attempted murder charge for shooting at his victim.
But, the Volusia County Sheriff's Office soon found out that the "victim" was also involved. Now, both 25-year-old Laquan Robenson and 24-year-old Timothy Cooper face attempted murder charges.
Back on Tuesday (April 9th) just before 10 p.m., VCSO got reports of a shooting near South Delaware and South Thompson Avenues.
There, deputies met with Robenson, who said that he had been hanging out with two others males and his cousin that night when he and Cooper got into a verbal altercation.
Robenson said Cooper soon left and returned shortly, walking in the shadows near Delaware and Thompson. That's when the shooting took place, with Robenson claiming that Cooper shot at him.
He said that they were both longtime friends until that incident and he didn't want to press charges.
Detectives then took over the seen and began to investigate, gathering shell casings and searching for witnesses. As they worked the scene, Robenson stated that he did not return fire at Cooper in self-defense.
Evidence found at the scene confirmed that statement.
During their follow-up investigation, detectives sought a warrant for Cooper's arrest.
However, the story suddenly changed that day.
On Wednesday (April 10th), two people came into VCSO's District 2 office and gave detectives mroe information about the shooting, including a video of Robenson that contradicted his statement.
VCSO determined Robenson willfully provided false information to the investigators in a felony criminal investigation and he is not licensed to carry a concealed weapon.
When interviewed again, Robenson admitted to returning fire after Cooper's gun ran out of ammunition.
Robenson was arrested and transported to Volusia County Jail on attempted second-degree murder charges, carrying a concealed weapon, knowingly giving false information and destroying physical evidence. He remains in custody with no bail allowed.
Cooper was arrested later that day on a warrant for attempted second-degree murder. He was booked into VCJ on a $25,000 bond. He has since posted bail and was released.
