JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A week ago, News4JAX spoke with the family of a woman who’s facing an attempted murder charge after she was accused of shooting her ex-boyfriend. The sister of Tyiece Heyward said her sibling was not trying to kill him.
Now, the man who was seriously injured after police said he was shot in his stomach has come forward and on Wednesday spoke with News4JAX on a condition of anonymity.
Heyward’s family says her fear of her ex-boyfriend led her to shoot him after they say he stalked, harassed and subjected her to abuse. As of Wednesday night, she remained in jail on a $1 million bond.
“She said, ‘I didn’t know I hit him. I didn’t know I hit him.’ She said, ‘I just wanted to make sure he left me alone and went away,” Heyward’s sister said in a previous interview.
Her ex-boyfriend, who is no longer in the hospital, confirmed that statement during my interview with him.
Erik: “Prior to the gunshots, did you throw anything at her?”
“Yes, I threw a pot at her window,” he replied.
Heyward’s ex-boyfriend confirmed that he showed up at her house at 2 a.m. to pick up his clothes and that the two got into an argument that turned violent at the front door. Police say Heyward’s surveillance cameras recorded her shooting at her ex as he was retreating back to his car.
Police said, after he was shot, he drove to a nearby parking lot where he called 911. Paramedics took him to UF Health where he underwent life-saving surgery.
“I hate that it went this far. It was not supposed to go this far,” the man said.
Heyward’s family provided documentation that proved she went to the police for help. There was even a copy of a domestic violence injunction that was temporarily granted last year. Her ex told News4JAX that her family was right.
“She kept telling me, ‘Don’t tear up her stuff.’ And I wouldn’t let her go. She always tried to get away and I would go where she was at,” the man said.
“She kept telling me, ‘You need help,’” he added. “She was trying to get me some help, but I didn’t take it.”
Her ex told News4JAX that he created the fear in Heyward and that he believes it led to her shooting him.
“I’m wrong. I’d be less than a man to sit around and say that I’m not,” he said. “And it’s not worth her going to jail and losing all her stuff behind an abusive [expletive] man. It’s not right.”
When asked if there was anything he wanted Heyward to know, he responded: “That I’m sorry. I wish I would have listened to her.”
Attorney Randy Reep is not affiliated with this case, but says the ex-boyfriend’s statements about abuse towards Heyward would be helpful in her defense.
“I could only hear from the ears of a criminal defense attorney who would potentially have a client arguing self-defense. And we just heard the victim say she should have been scared of me because I continually abused her and I was returning there to, arguably, abuse her again,” Reep said. “That’s pretty problematic for the government’s case.”
Heyward’s ex-boyfriend said he plans to speak with prosecutors to see if they would consider dropping the case against her. She’s facing the possibility of life in prison, if convicted.