Sentenced: Florida Man Drops 4YO Boy Head-First From 2nd Story Balcony

[Sugar Cookie]

According to records from the Daytona Beach Police Department, 31-year-old Brandon Gilmore met the mother of the toddler approximately five hours before the incident, which happened just before 8 p.m.

The man says he told the mother he was taking the child outside to play and "scare him a little bit," then proceeded to hold the child upside down by his legs over the balcony.

Witnesses say Gilmore then dropped the toddler head-first, letting him fall two stories to the ground.

"He was just like swinging in, playing with them," said Dasanni Bentley, who witnessed the troubling incident. "And then he let him go and he had him by one foot. And then the kids slipped right out of him and fell directly on his head on the concrete, no grass."

Gilmore told officers he held the child over the balcony but did not expand further on his involvement, the affidavit says.

Bentley said the child took a pretty hard hit.

"His face started turning bright purple," said Bentley. "He obviously was getting no oxygen. It was just not a good situation."

Officers say they were able to access video surveillance footage that captured the incident. According to the affidavit, the video shows Gilmore exiting a hotel room holding the child normally in his arms before holding him over the balcony by one leg.

The surveillance footage then shows Gilmore dropping the child head first, the affidavit says.

Bentley said Gilmore and the child's mom ran downstairs.

"They were just all down like all around him, trying to make sure he was okay," she added. "People were screaming from the pool, like to not touch him."

Witnesses said the mom picked the child off the floor and took him back to the room.

The child was rushed to hospital as a trauma alert based on the seriousness of the fall. According to police, the child suffered blunt force trauma to his head, but his current condition was not immediately made available.

Florida man arrested after dangling, dropping child off second-floor resort balcony

A 31-year-old man was arrested on Saturday after allegedly dropping a 4-year-old off the second floor of a Daytona Beach resort, according to an affidavit from the police department.

www.wral.com

The Department of Children and Families was notified.

Gilmore faces a charge of aggravated child abuse.

Man accused of dangling, dropping child head-first from balcony of Daytona Beach resort

A 31-year-old man is accused of dangling a child from the second-floor balcony of a Daytona Beach resort and dropping him, according to the Daytona Beach Police Department.

www.clickorlando.com

 

[Jellyfish Brain]

I think that's a new record. 5 hours after meeting the new DOTM. Way to go mom.

 

[the cat did it]

So mom allowed a man she had just met hours earlier at the pool to pick up her toddler to play with him and "scare him a little bit" WTF??? How does a mother allow some man she just met hours earlier at the pool to pick her child up and walk out the hotel room?? NOT ME. WTF was she thinking? Obviously nothing. And everyone who yelled at her not to pick the child up was right-what if his neck or back was broken or something?! Again WTF was she thinking when she picked up her child and ran into the room with him? Again-obviously nothing. Mom seems to have made some really poor decisions. And NO ONE would be taking my child to "scare them a little bit"-I don't care if I knew you 5 minutes or my whole life-you don't scare babies!!

 

[Busy Bee]

What kind of person dangles a child by the legs over a balcony? What, that’s just incredibly stupid, dumb, ignorant or just psychotic! I have to wonder what else Mr Gilmore has done to other children? After knowing him for 5 hours she invited him into her room, where was she when he was dangling her child by his legs and dropped him two stories down??

 

[GingerSnap99]

I’ve been following this story because it’s local to me ‍

They met at the hotel pool 5 hours before this incident and both had been drinking all day. They had plans to “go get a piercing together” that night—of course.

The boy was 4-years-old. He was released from the hospital on Monday and is not expected to have any permanent injuries, which is pretty surprising.

This guy is a dad. I went digging on FB and it looks like he has a son that lives in Eustis, FL born in 2018/2019. He was engaged to the mom at one point but that didn’t last. I looked up his arrest history and he’s got a couple of arrests for marijuana and DWLS from 2014. Otherwise, that’s it.

I really, really wish I could see what this mom looks like! I’ll post an update if I come across anything…

 

[cubby]

I just have no words for the incredible idiocy and stupidity here.

 

[BuffettGirl]

What kind of person dangles a child by the legs over a balcony?

Michael Jackson started a trend?

 

[Sugar Cookie]

Name:	GILMORE, BRANDON MICHAEL

Supervision Begin Date:	10/29/2025

Current Status:	ACTIVE
Supervision Type:	PROBATION FELONY
Scheduled Termination Date:	10/29/2027

Current Community Supervision History:​

Offense Date	Offense	Sentence Date	County	Case No.	Community Supervision Length
07/06/2024	AGGRAVATED CHILD ABUSE	08/11/2025	VOLUSIA	2414888	2Y 0M 0D

 

[420702]

Yip.... Ginger.

 

[cubby]

He only got 2 years for nearly killing this baby!!!!

We will definitely see this brain dead individual again.