The Florida student who was arrested for allegedly shooting two of his 13-year-old teammates after a fight broke out over food during football practice is only 11 years old — and his mom could face charges for leaving the firearm he used unsecured, cops said.
The alleged baby-faced shooter was slapped with an attempted second-degree murder charge over the Monday night shooting at a sports complex in Apopka, about 20 miles from Orlando, WESH reported.
The youngster, who hasn’t been named, is accused of opening fire on his teammates after food was slapped from his hands during the Pop Warner practice.
The 11-year-old went to his mother’s car, grabbed an unsecured gun and allegedly started firing at the two boys in the parking lot, Apopka Police Chief Mike McKinley said.
“It’s a shame. No one wants to arrest an 11-year-old by any means,” the police chief said, adding that youngsters are “ruining their lives” with gun violence.
The alleged shooter fetched a gun from a car and started firing. Fox 35 Orlando
The top cop described the suspect as “very quiet and shy” and “looking very somber” in the wake of his arrest.
The boy was slapped with a single attempted murder charge because McKinley said he didn’t feel it was necessary to “stack charges upon an 11-year-old with no criminal history.”
The alleged shooter’s mom could also face charges for leaving the gun unsecured, the police chief said.
The two victims, who also haven’t been identified, are hospitalized in stable condition, according to cops.
The alleged shooter was detained as authorities investigated. WFTV
One of the victims took a bullet to his torso, while the other teen was shot in the arm.
“It’s unbelievable that young kids out here to play football and have a good time would get into an altercation,” McKinley said.
“Plenty of adults around and in my day we would’ve run and talk to our parents about it and let our parents handle it, but in today’s society, unfortunately, our juveniles run, retrieve a gun and fire the gun. Unacceptable. We can do better than that as a society.”
Florida boy, 11, arrested for allegedly shooting 2 teammates at football practice
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