An 11-year-old youth football player is facing a second-degree attempted murder charge after allegedly shooting two of his young teammates at practice this week in Florida, TMZ reports.
The incident involving the 11-year-old youth football player with police who say it all happened at the Apopka (FL) Northwest Recreation Center around 8:20 PM on Monday, when three kids were involved in an argument after practice that took a terrifying turn.
“[The altercation] continued into the parking lot where this juvenile had access to a firearm in his mother’s car,” Apopka police chief Mike McKinley said during a press conference on Tuesday.
That’s when McKinley said the unnamed suspect (cops aren’t releasing his identity because of his age), who doesn’t have a criminal history, squeezed off a single round, striking his two teammates with a single shot.
One of the victims was hit in the arm and the other suffered injuries to the upper body. Both boys are 13.
“Fired one shot,” McKinley said, “and that one shot hit both victims.”
McKinley said the young suspect is being charged with one count of second-degree attempted murder (more charges could be tacked on) and the department is also looking at potentially pressing charges against the parents who left the gun in a place the child could reach it.
“It is a crime to allow your children to have access to your firearm in an unsecured box,” Chief McKinley said.
As for the young age of the shooter, the chief says this isn’t a position they wanted to be in.
“Nobody wants to arrest an 11-year-old, by any means, but based on our investigation we feel those charges are warranted.”
The two victims are thankfully expected to be okay.