A 12-year-old boy and 14-year-old girl who ran away from a children’s home on Tuesday night in Volusia County, Florida, broke into a house, stole the homeowner’s firearms, and opened fire on several responding police officers, leaving the girl wounded by authorities.
The teenager was shot and wounded after she came out of the homeowner’s garage and pointed a shotgun at deputies outside. The boy, armed with an AK-47, put down his weapon shortly after the girl was shot and surrendered. He was not injured, according to a report from the Volusia County sheriff’s department.
The girl is reportedly fighting for her life in the hospital, Sheriff Mike Chitwood said, according to CNN.
Both children shot at police deputies during the incident as authorities attempted to de-escalate the situation and resolve the problem peacefully. No officers were harmed.
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Sheriff Chitwood had some sharp words for the juvenile justice system. Both of these kids reportedly ran away from Florida United Methodist Children’s home – pic.twitter.com/KDkrIkpZLf
— Samantha Sosa FOX 35 (@SamanthaSosa_) June 2, 2021
During an 11:30 p.m. press conference outside the property, Chitwood told reporters the armed assault on law enforcement from two children was “something I’ve never seen in 35 years in policing.”
“Deputies did everything they could tonight to de-escalate, and they almost lost their lives to a 12-year-old and a 14-year-old,” he said. “If it wasn’t for their training and their supervision … somebody would have ended up dead.”
The officers who responded to the incident tried everything in their power to avoid firing back at the teenage girl, the sheriff added.
“But they took rounds — multiple, multiple rounds — until they were left with no other choice but to return fire,” he said.
At least eight deputies were involved in the incident, the sheriff’s office said. Body camera footage is expected to be released on Wednesday. Charges against the two juvenile defendants are pending.
On Wednesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said his office was taking a look into the shooting incident.
“Obviously, it is a really problematic situation to have that,” the governor said.
Chitwood harshly condemned the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, calling it a “failure.”
“The 14-year-old was arrested for stealing dogs, for larceny, she then got teen court and was sentenced to a halfway house in Flagler County,” he said. “She burned that halfway house down on April 10 of 2021, and the Department of Juvenile Justice placed her in Florida United Methodist Children’s Home.”
Kitwana McTyer, the president and CEO of the Florida United Methodist Children’s Home, called the situation “tragic,” adding that “these children are in desperate need of care in the appropriate setting, which is a higher level of care than we provide.”
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The Washington Examiner contacted the Volusia sheriff’s department and the FUMCH for further details but did not immediately receive a response.
