On the evening of December 8, 2025, a violent domestic tragedy unfolded in a residential driveway on Abscott Street near Fontaine Avenue in Port Charlotte, Florida. Glenn Arthur Stewart, a 65-year-old male, had arrived at the location to speak with his son regarding personal responsibilities. The discussion reportedly centered on the father’s insistence that his son secure employment, complete necessary military paperwork, and begin paying rent, as Glenn had been covering his financial
expenses for several months.
The conversation escalated when the son, identified as 25-year-old Melquan Anthony Stewart, retrieved a Ruger LC9 handgun from his bag. While Glenn sat in the driver’s seat of his Volkswagen Taos SUV, Melquan fired six rounds through the open passenger window, striking his father multiple times. In a desperate attempt to escape the ambush, Glenn tried to reverse the vehicle but was unable to flee before the attack continued.
Witnesses and investigators detailed a harrowing sequence of events following the initial volley of gunfire. Melquan reportedly pulled his wounded father from the vehicle and onto the driveway, where he fired a final shot into him. In a bizarre turn immediately after the lethal act, the assailant positioned his father’s arms over his chest and told him that he loved him. Melquan then fled the scene in the vehicle, initially driving toward Miami, while neighbors who heard the commotion alerted emergency services.
Law enforcement officers and emergency medical personnel arrived to find Glenn Stewart suffering from critical injuries; he was transported to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead. While investigators were processing the scene, the stolen vehicle returned. Melquan Stewart exited the car, covered in blood, and surrendered to deputies. He confessed to the killing, claiming that he had heard voices in his head instructing him to shoot his father.
Melquan Stewart was subsequently arrested and booked into the Charlotte County Jail. He faces a charge of second-degree murder and is being held without bond. The community, particularly those at Murdock Middle School where Glenn Stewart had served as a long-time educator and substitute teacher, expressed shock and mourning over the loss of a man remembered for his dedication to his students. Mental health evaluations were ordered for the suspect as the legal proceedings began.
