A Florida 11-year-old boy was arrested after he allegedly shot two 13-year-olds at a youth football practice on Monday after getting into an argument with them.
The Apopka Police Department is investigating the incident that took place at the Northwest Recreation Complex in Apopka.
The alleged shooter was arrested and booked on a single charge of second-degree attempted murder, Apopka Police Chief Mike McKinley shared with reporters on Monday night.
“That’s not good,” McKinley said. “We shouldn’t have 11-year-olds that have access to guns and think they can resolve a dispute with a firearm.”
Police were notified of the incident at about 8:18 p.m. EST, and officers arrived at the scene just six minutes later. They found the young suspect and victims, who had been in a fight at their Pop Warner football practice earlier in the evening.
The fight allegedly spilled into the parking lot, and the 11-year-old grabbed a gun from his mother’s car and fired one shot, striking both boys, one in the arm and the other the torso, McKinley said.
McKinley added that the area was crowded, and luckily, no one else was hit by the gunfire. One of the boys has since been released from the hospital, while the other remained in stable condition.
“We all thank God nobody was hurt more seriously than what they were,” the chief said. “This could have been a very tragic incident.”
McKinley said that the gun came from the mother of the shooter’s car. He said it was not locked up like it should have been and that the suspect’s mother could also be charged in the incident.
Security footage allegedly showed the victims running away from the shooter when he pulled the trigger.
“As a society, we need to reflect on this. We see this way too often in our society now of juveniles — young juveniles, and they’re getting younger every day — that have access to guns,” McKinley said. “But the more disturbing part is they believe that gun, that firearm, is a resolution to their problems — and it’s not a resolution to anybody’s problems.”
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