Police have released surveillance video which appears to show the moment an 11-year-old boy allegedly shot two of his teammates in a crime that has shocked the nation.
The alleged shooter could be seen running to a vehicle, retrieving a gun, and firing a single shot before his mother grabbed the gun, grabbed him, and took him back toward the SUV. The incident allegedly stemmed from a fight over a bag of chips that was slapped from his hands during the Pop Warner practice.
His gunshot hit his teammate in the back and that same round is believed to have struck another juvenile in the arm. Both kids were taken to the hospital and are expected to fully recover.
The child, who is not being named due to his age, is facing one count of attempted second-degree murder, Apopka Police Chief Michael McKinley said during a news conference Tuesday.
The gun he retrieved was from an unlocked box in his mother’s SUV. Officials said they would pursue criminal charges against the mom because it was left accessible to a child, which is a second-degree misdemeanor.
The mom told officers that the gun was kept in an unlocked box underneath her seat and the boy knew where it was.
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“Nobody wants to arrest an 11-year-old, by any means,” Apopka police chief Mike McKinley said of the matter during a press conference on Tuesday, “but based on our investigation we feel those charges are warranted.”
“Juveniles, young juveniles…that have access to guns, but the more disturbing part is that they believe that gun, that firearm, is a resolution to their problem. And it’s not a resolution to anybody’s problems. It just creates more problems for everybody involved,” he said.
The suspect is currently being held at a juvenile detention center.
