A birthday party in central Florida ended in gunfire when drunken family members began arguing over politics and Puerto Rico.

The Volusia County Sheriff's Office  confirmed a 17-year-old girl was transported to a local hospital Saturday night after she was shot in the knee by a stray bullet fired by her stepdad.

Jose Amaro, 41, of Deltona, was fighting with his brother-in-law just before 10 p.m. when witnesses told deputies that he went to get a handgun.

All parties involved had been drinking and appeared intoxicated when they began arguing "about politics, Trump and the situation in Puerto Rico," according to a sheriff's  office news release.

While family members were trying to restrain Amaro, he fired one shot into the yard hitting his stepdaughter.

Amaro was arrested and charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, as well as possession of ammunition by a convicted felon and two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

About the Author

Featured

Tracy Woodard from InTown Cares (left) and Lauren Hopper from Mercy Care organization work with residents at the Copperton Street encampment in August 2024. 
(Miguel Martinez / AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez