Angela Sutton Washington was a 60-year-old Desert Storm veteran who was peacefully going about her business at an Orlando-area strip mall at which she frequently shopped on February 7, 2023, when she was shot and killed. Now, fourth months after her murder and the investigation into it began, Ms. Washington’s suspected murderer has been arrested by the Orlando Police Department.
The department announced that in a post on Facebook, announcing that “Orlando Police Homicide Detectives have made an arrest in the homicide of U.S. Military Veteran Angela Sutton Washington.” Continuing, the post reminded people what happened to Ms. Washington, saying, “Angela Sutton Washington was shot and killed while shopping in the plaza located at 5100 North Lane on February 7, at approximately 6:51 p.m. The suspect vehicle fled the scene of the crime.”
It then added that Homicide Detectives were “relentless” in searching for the murderer and finally those efforts paid off. “Through the relentless efforts of our Homicide Detectives along with cooperation from the community and Central Florida Crimeline a suspect has been captured,” the statement said.
Continuing, the post identified the murder suspect and what he has been charged with in Ms. Washington’s horrific murder, saying, “He has been identified as: Samuel Stevens, 15yrs old. Stevens has been charged with First Degree Murder with a Firearm.”
The department also, in that announcement post, shared a video of Stevens being arrested and led into a police car to be taken to jail. Watch that here:
Fernando Washington, Ms. Washington’s son, said in March that the murder was not particularly surprising given the current crime climate, saying, “It is hard to comprehend. I cannot sit here and say that I’m not angry. I can’t say that I’m not confused, but in the climate in which we live, it’s not surprising.”
He added that he hopes his mother’s death will rally the community to change things and start pushing back on crime, saying that it’s time for the senseless deaths to stop. In his words: “We cannot continue to think that senseless deaths make sense, because they don’t.”
Orlando Police Homicide Unit Detective Barb Sharp, speaking on the murder in March, highlighted Ms. Washington’s accomplishments and her being well-respected in her community before noting the utter pointlessness of her death. He said, “This was a senseless murder of a valued member of our community. Angela was a military veteran, Desert Storm. She’s a beloved daughter, mother and grandmother. She was simply stopping at the convenience store on the way home to pick something up and was shot and killed.”
Further, a local community member noted the immense toll that crime like this takes on a community, snuffing out lives far before they should have died and leading to young men being either imprisoned for near the rest of their lives or executed. “There are young people in our communities that are making bad decisions, and these costing them their life because while the suspect is not dead, basically after being charged with this, their life is about over,” he said.
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video
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