On July 5, 2025, 17-year-old Anthony Steven Romero, male, Hispanic/Latino, was shot and killed during a confrontation in the 22000 block of Hernando Avenue in Port Charlotte, Florida. Around 5:20 p.m., deputies responded to a 911 call and found two teenagers with gunshot wounds; Anthony Steven Romero suffered multiple wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene, while the other teen was hospitalized.
Investigators with the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office said the violence stemmed from an ongoing dispute between the teens that escalated when both allegedly armed themselves and exchanged gunfire. Neighbors were urged to remain indoors that evening as detectives secured the area and collected evidence, including a firearm recovered later by deputies.
Within days, the investigation produced arrests. Nineteen-year-old Michael Balunas, who was also wounded, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder in the killing of Anthony Steven Romero, along with possession of a firearm by a Florida delinquent adult. Detectives later identified a second participant, 18-year-old Octavion Washington, and arrested him as a principal in the first degree to homicide, concluding that he was directly involved in the shooting. Authorities described the case as a tragic culmination of a teenage dispute that left two families permanently altered, and they continued processing forensic evidence as the case moved forward in the courts.
Community outlets and memorial pages soon confirmed the identity of Anthony Steven Romero and documented the grief that followed. Local radio and regional news reiterated the sheriff’s account—that an argument between teenagers escalated into gunfire—underscoring how quickly the encounter turned fatal for a young man who never made it home. The investigation narrative, arrests, and charges were corroborated across official sheriff’s office releases and multiple local news reports, painting a consistent picture of the final moments on Hernando Avenue and the effort to hold those responsible to account.
