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Family will promote gun safety alongside the teen charged for accidentally killing their son

The Hulett family has also started a foundation in Bradley's honor.

TAMPA, Fla — The parents of a teen killed in a 2019 shooting have reached an agreement with the 17-year-old boy charged in their son's death.

Bradley Hulett was shot and killed on Dec. 13, 2019, when he and a group of friends – including then-15-year-old Christopher "Ramsey" Bevan – were at the home of a Tampa police officer.

New evidence later showed the gun had a defect, but Bevan was charged with Hulett's death.

Bevan, now 17, will work to raise awareness for gun safety through a pretrial intervention program. The program gives Bevan the opportunity to have the charges dropped against him for Hulett's death. 

Hulett's mom, Meagan, welcomed the agreement.

“We feel that this was the best possible outcome given the circumstances of Bradley's case," Meagan said. "We never wanted to see Ramsey spend a lengthy amount of time in jail."

She explained all the family ever wanted was for anyone responsible for her son Bradley's death to take accountability. 

According to Meagan, that includes:

  • Gun company SIG Sauer for "manufacturing a defective weapon"
  • Officer Edwin Perez — who was not charged — for what she describes as not properly storing his gun
  • The officer's son for entering the bedroom that was off-limits, reportedly taking the gun, and apparently suggesting the group use it to scare Bradley
  • And Bevan, who she says was holding the faulty weapon when it was discharged

The Hulett family came to the agreement with State Attorney Andrew Warren after new evidence was discovered through their investigation. 

"Our office filed the manslaughter charge under the theory that Ramsey Bevan had intentionally or recklessly pulled the gun's trigger even though he was not intending to harm anyone," Warren said at a press conference Tuesday morning. 

"However we learned that this particular handgun has a defect. A design defect. The gun involved is a SIG Sauer P320. It has a defect that allows the gun to fire without the trigger being pulled. This new info along with the wishes of the Hulett family prompted our office to make this decision," Warren said.

Through the three-year pretrial intervention program, Bevan will undergo mental health treatment, drug and alcohol evaluation, complete 150 hours of community service and remain arrest-free — all under the supervision of the Department of Corrections.

If Bevan completes all the requirements, the manslaughter charges against him will be dropped. He will be eligible for early termination of the program after 18 months if he completes all the requirements within that timeframe.

And, as Warren explained, Bevan will complete his community service alongside the Hulett family, teaching kids about gun safety through the foundation they started in Bradley's honor.

"If you knew Bradley - he was very very kind and sweet and he wouldn't have wanted any of this, but he would've never wanted for us to be at turmoil and not speaking to his people that he was friends with. We wouldn't have been happy at the end of trial if Ramsey was sent to jail. When this opportunity arose, it felt like it was the best thing for everybody," Meagan said.

The shooting death of Bradley Hulett

While hanging out at a friend's house after school, one of the boys, who was the Tampa Police Department officer's son, picked the lock to his father's master bedroom to use the bathroom, according to the state attorney. Once inside, authorities say the group noticed a gun.

Investigators said the officer's son reportedly removed the gun, which he believed to be unloaded, from the holster. Although there was no magazine in the gun, authorities said there was one bullet in the chamber.

While Bradley Hulett was in a bedroom playing video games, the others entered with the gun, according to the State Attorney’s Office.

That's when the accidental shooting happened. Bradley Hulett was shot in the head.

After the shooting, Bevan was charged with manslaughter with a firearm. In 2020, court records confirmed Bevan faced a first-degree felony charge as an adult.  

Investigators said at the time they did not believe anyone meant to kill a friend as the evidence clearly showed that it was a “tragic accident where all the boys mistakenly believed the gun was not loaded.”

RELATED: Teen will be charged as an adult in shooting death at Tampa police officer's home

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