An 11-year-old Florida boy allegedly shot two of his Pop Warner youth football teammates after a Monday night practice following a fight over a bag of chips, police said.
The child, who has not been identified by authorities, faces one count of attempted second-degree murder, Apopka Police Chief Michael McKinley said during a news conference Tuesday morning.
Authorities said the boy grabbed a gun from an unlocked box in his mother’s SUV and fired toward another teammate, hitting him in the back outside a practice complex in Apopka, Fox Orlando reported.
That same round is believed to have then struck another juvenile in the arm. Both victims, age 13, were taken to a hospital and are expected to recover.
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A still image from a surveillance camera showing a young boy allegedly shooting at a teammate after a Pop Warner football practice in Apopka, Florida. ( Apopka Police Department)
The suspected shooter was detained at the scene.
“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,” McKinley said. “And it’s not a resolution to anybody’s problems. It just creates more problems for everybody involved.”
Surveillance footage captured from a building close to the shooting appears to show the alleged shooter being chased by one of the victims. The shooter appears to run toward a vehicle and reach inside before firing a shot, causing a small crowd nearby to run from the area.
The suspect hit and injured two people and is being charged with one count of attempted murder.
Apopka police at the scene where two minors were shot at a Pop Warner football practice in Florida. (Fox Orlando)
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“That it’ll be up to the courts if they want to separate those [charges],” McKinley said. “Again, this is a serious charge and we’re talking about an 11-year-old child here, I don’t think there is a need to stack on charges on an 11-year-old child that has no criminal history.”
Authorities have not said whether the child’s mother will face charges, despite the firearm being legally owned.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Mid-Florida pop Warner said it was “saddened by the frightening incident.”
“The scourge of gun violence is even more disturbing when young children are involved,” the organization said. “As law enforcement conducts its investigation, we are working diligently with the Apopka Blue Darters association and the national office of Pop Warner to better understand the circumstances surrounding the shooting, and work to ensure appropriate measures are in place to support the program and its members.
“Our first priority is making sure the boys and girls on all our teams are protected and feel safe participating in a sport they love,” the statement continued.
