New body camera video shows deputies ducking behind trees for cover from gunfire by 2 children armed with a shotgun, handgun and AK-47 at a home in central Florida.
The gunfire ended with deputies shooting a 14-year-old girl. She’s in the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
“Shots fired, everybody get hard cover, hard cover.” Those words rang out on the radio after the first bullets flew out of the home. The video shows a deputy hiding behind a tree as he sees the girl holding a shotgun or a long gun.
“Shooting out the rear window toward my direction,” said the deputy who later confirms the girl is holding a shotgun.
Another shot rings out.
“Hey guys, just hold hard cover let’s not shoot the kids man, let’s just hold cover, take our time,” said the voice over the radio.
“She’s re-racking a round inside the shotgun,” said the deputy.
“Let’s not engage them anymore, let’s not challenge them,” said the voice over the radio.
The deputy hiding behind a tree whispers, “Don’t make me do this, don’t make me do this.”
The 14-year-old girl walked out of the garage, and pointed the shotgun when deputies shot her, the sheriff’s office said.
The 12-year-old boy put down the AK-47 and surrendered. The boy, who’s insulin dependent, was treated at the hospital for his medical condition.
The two kids ran away from a group home for children in Enterprise on Tuesday night. They broke into a home and armed themselves with the firearms. They had access to 200 rounds of ammunition, the sheriff’s office said.
The boy told investigators when he saw the cops outside, the 14-year-old girl made a statement, “I’m going to roll this down like GTA.” GTA, or Grand Theft Auto, is a video game where players can shoot others, even cops, at will.
According to the sheriff’s office, the boy said he noticed green dots on him when the cops arrived and fired both the shotgun and handgun at deputies because he “wanted to harm them.”
The boy did not have a criminal past, but received suspensions from school in April for threatening to throw a brick at an administrator and for threatening to kill another student and spread his guts all over the bleachers.
The 14-year-old girl, who is in critical condition at the hospital, had been arrested in 2018 for stealing puppies. The sheriff’s office said she refused to comply with her sentence of teen court. In April, the girl set five fires near homes and ultimately was placed in foster care because her mother couldn’t control her. She was then sent to the Florida United Methodist Children’s Home.
Charges against the two children are pending.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the use of force. The deputies involved are on paid administrative leave, which is standard after police shootings.