ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A heartbreaking tragedy has shaken the Orange County community after a 16-year-old student, identified as Pinien Dalmacy, was fatally shot following a dispute that began in a school hallway.
According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the altercation started when Pinien allegedly bumped into a fellow student, 15-year-old Jacori Redding, without offering an apology. What began as a minor incident tragically escalated into violence after school hours.
Sheriff John Mina stated that the two teens planned to meet at a nearby basketball court to settle the disagreement. It was there that Redding reportedly pulled out a gun and shot Pinien, ending his young life in a moment of senseless rage.
“I’m really angry that something as small as bumping into someone in the halls of a high school — something that we have all done — has now turned into a deadly shooting of a 16-year-old,” Sheriff Mina said during a press briefing.
Authorities say Redding then returned to Oak Ridge High School with the firearm, where he was later taken into custody without incident. The teen suspect is now being held in juvenile detention and faces charges of murder. Officials also confirmed that Redding had been previously involved in a grand theft auto case, and investigators are working to determine how he obtained the weapon used in the shooting.
Little is known about the victim, Pinien Dalmacy, but school district officials shared that he had joined Orange County Public Schools just last year. Friends and classmates have described him as kind-hearted and full of potential — a young man whose life was tragically cut short before it had truly begun.
The Oak Ridge High School community is mourning deeply, with grief counselors available to support students and staff as they process this devastating loss.
This incident serves as a painful reminder of how quickly conflict can turn deadly — and how urgently communities must come together to address youth violence and promote healing.
Gone far too soon, but never forgotten.