A man from Florida has been taken into custody for allegedly shooting and killing his former girlfriend and subsequently targeting another woman.
The Bradenton Police Department reported that 29-year-old Keith Roberts, Jr. was arrested on January 15. He faces charges of first-degree murder with a firearm and attempted first-degree murder with a firearm, as detailed in a news release by the department.
Investigators claim Roberts entered a medical and office complex in Bradenton, Florida, around 12:48 p.m. on that day and shot his ex-girlfriend, Myshaela Burnham, fatally.
“He entered through an unlocked door, proceeded directly to the desk where the victim was seated since he was familiar with her location, and fired at close range,” Bradenton Chief of Police Jason Cramer explained to WFLA. “The gunfire also struck another woman who was at a nearby desk.”
The police department’s release stated that Roberts “then aimed his weapon at” the second victim, an office employee who had witnessed the shooting.
The name of the office employee has not been disclosed by authorities, but it is reported that she is currently in stable condition at the hospital.
911 callers were able to describe a car seen leaving the scene, and law enforcement was able to locate the vehicle, leading to Roberts’ arrest “within 25 minutes of the shooting,” per the release.
Roberts was interviewed by detectives and arrested before 6 p.m. that evening, police noted, adding that their investigation into the incident was ongoing.
The suspect is still in custody, per Manatee County Sheriff’s Office records. According to WFLA, a county judge ordered that he be held without bond on Jan. 16.
Roberts is scheduled to appear in court for a pretrial detention review on Jan. 23, followed by his arraignment on Feb. 13, Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit Court records show. It’s unclear if he has retained an attorney.
A GoFundMe for Burnham remembered her as a mother who was a “bright light in every life she touched.”
