Wednesday, January 2, 2008

1st Orange slaying 1 hour into new year


One man was killed and 2 teens were hurt when they were shot in a car in the Holden Heights area.

Rich McKay

Sentinel Staff Writer

January 2, 2008

A rolling gunbattle Tuesday morning brought Orange County's first homicide of 2008 about an hour into the new year.

Sheriff's detectives say a green Mustang drove up alongside another car about 1 a.m. in the Holden Heights neighborhood and someone inside opened fire, killing one man and wounding two teenagers.

The gunshot-riddled car was stopped near the corner of Rio Grande and Grant Street about 1 1/2 miles from the Florida Citrus Bowl when officers were called to the scene.

Some people fled on foot and the Mustang sped off, according to reports.

The two wounded teens were rushed to Orlando Regional Medical Center; the man died in the car.

Detectives have not released names, but family members say the slain man is Nathaniel E. Keaton, 23, of Orlando.

"We don't know who did it, but that's my son," said Albert Keaton, 52, of Orlando. "My son is gone."

Cpl. Susan Soto of the Orange County Sheriff's Office said the two wounded were a 15-year-old male and a 17-year-old male. No further information was released.

Albert Keaton said he was told his son was at a bar on Rio Grande and that there was an argument between two groups of young men.

"It was just a small argument or something," Albert Keaton said. "When they thought everything was OK, they got into the car and left. But they got followed. The car pulled up and they just started shooting it up."

The elder Keaton said his son was a passenger in the vehicle.

The shooting death comes after two years in which murders in Orange County and Orlando reached historic highs.

In 2007, 98 people were slain, the second-deadliest year on record for the region's two largest jurisdictions. In 2006, 113 people were killed, setting the record.

Soto said: "It's the first day of the year and we already have a death."

Albert Keaton said he hoped his son would have gone into the military and made a good life for himself.

"I was hoping the best for him," Keaton said. "But he just wanted to be out with his friends. But he was with the wrong group."


Rich McKay can be reached at 407-420-5470 or rmckay@orlandosentinel.com.

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