A Florida teenager accused of killing another teen was recently bailed out of jail for fatally striking an elderly man and leaving the scene.
On December 29th, 15-year-old Zykiquiro Lofton was gunned down in St. Petersburg, Florida. Witnesses say they observed Lofton being chased before being shot on 9th Avenue South at around 9:00 p.m. Shortly after midnight on December 30th, police arrested 17-year-old Deonte Bishop during a traffic stop where he was the passenger. They initially charged him with carrying a concealed firearm and possession of marijuana with intent to sell. Detectives soon announced he was a suspect in Lofton’s slaying. Bishop was subsequently charged as an adult with first-degree felony murder. The motive is unknown, but police did confirm the two knew one another. Lofton’s grandmother, Vicki Glenn, says Bishop shouldn’t be “allowed to walk the streets freely.”
However, police say this was not the young man’s first time taking a life. On November 26th, while driving his father’s Chevy Camaro without a license, Bishop was speeding down Dr. MLK Street South when he slammed into a Charger driven by 87-year-old Denry Gayle at an intersection at approximately 10:00 p.m. Bishop quickly fled the scene after striking the side of the vehicle. Sadly, Gayle was transported to a nearby hospital, where he passed away. For that accident, Bishop was charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving death and operating a motor vehicle without a license involving death. He was released from jail after someone posted his $5,000 bond. His father, 61-year-old Ricky Bishop, was also charged with one count of allowing an unlicensed person to drive his vehicle, involving death.
Deonte Bishop is now being held in Pinellas County Jail.
