A Florida man seemingly had no regrets after shooting a 2-year-old in cold blood during a 2025 robbery.
Clifford Long, known by the nickname “Goof,” has been accused of entering a home on the night of August 29, 2025, and opening fire on members of a multigenerational family, according to Click Orlando.
Officers with the Melbourne Police Department arrived at the scene around 10:40 p.m., where they found a 48-year-old woman and a 54-year-old man suffering from serious gunshot wounds.
Authorities also found 2-year-old Bles’Syn Lightner in the bathroom, who had been struck in the forehead with a bullet. The child was pronounced dead at the scene.
Six other family members — including two children — were in the house at the time of the shooting but were not physically harmed. Meanwhile, officers said that the toddler’s parents were away at a concert when the attack unfolded.
Police found no signs of forced entry. The victims initially claimed they didn’t know the gunman, though the 54-year-old man later identified Long as the shooter.
The victim described the suspect as a tall, thin, light-skinned Black male and said his head was shaped “like a football,” according to an arrest affidavit viewed by Tampa Free Press.
The man also claimed that he saw Long shoot the toddler before he stepped over her body to fire at the two grandparents.
The affidavit stated that Long admitted to the killing during a conversation with his brother, in which he allegedly said, “They wouldn’t come off that money.” Due to the comment, investigators believe Long broke into the home to commit a robbery or for a drug-related dispute. Long also reportedly told his brother he did not intend to kill the child during the incident.
One week before the shooting, Long and his brother were charged with stabbing a homeless man over 30 times during a drug dispute. Long has been held in custody at the Brevard County Jail since September 2025 for attacking the homeless man.
While speaking to investigators about the death of Bles’Syn, Long initially denied any involvement and claimed he was at a gas station at the time of the shooting.
He admitted that he knows the toddler’s father, though said he doesn’t know the rest of the family well.
However, his story didn’t line up later when he reportedly reflected on the toddler’s death while talking to investigators. “To be honest with you, I didn’t shed a tear but my condolences to the family,” he allegedly told police about the shooting.
Long is scheduled to appear in court on May 20.
It is not currently clear if he has entered pleas or retained legal counsel in light of his two arrests. The Melbourne Police Department did not immediately respond to Us Weekly’s request for comment.
