ABC News reports that an 11-year-old boy has been arrested for allegedly shooting two 13-year-olds during a fight at football practice.
The incident occurred on Oct. 2 in Apopka, Florida, in the parking lot of a recreation center football field. The video shows the boy going to his mother’s car and grabbing a gun. Next, he is seen firing one shot that hit two teens. According to Apopka Police Chief Mike McKinley, one of the victims was shot in the torso and is in stable condition after undergoing surgery. The other teen was struck in the arm and released from the hospital.
A witness says all three boys were engaging in a physical altercation over a bag of chips, with the victims being the aggressors. Another witness said he saw one of the victims slap the shooter in the face. According to the arrest report, after football practice, one of the victims, labeled as Victim 1, was seen chasing the 11-year-old boy while he ran toward his mom’s car. As the suspect grabbed the gun, one victim was already walking away.
The shooter was approximately 6 to 8 feet from the first victim when he fired the gun.
The small 9-mm purple handgun with live ammo was in a box under the front passenger seat, according to what the suspect’s mother told police. She said her son knew the gun was in the car, “but she had told him prior not to handle the gun and that the gun was for her protection.” However, Chief McKinley says it’s still a crime. “It is a crime to allow your children to have access to your firearm in an unsecured box,” Chief McKinley said, TMZ reports.
“Nobody wants to arrest an 11-year-old by any means, but based on our investigation, we feel those charges are warranted.”
He has been charged with attempted second-degree murder, and police say “additional charges are probably pending against some adults.”
