JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 14-year-old and 15-year-old have been charged with attempted murder in a July 20 shooting that left a 9-year-old Jacksonville girl critically injured, Sheriff T.K. Waters announced Wednesday.
Waters said the girl, who was struck in the neck by the gunfire, remains in critical but stable condition and is expected to recover.
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Waters said police were called to the home by ShotSpotter and found the girl, who was in a house on West 19th Street, near Myrtle Avenue and MLK, with six other people. Multiple shots were fired into the home shortly after 9 p.m. The child was the only one injured.
“While I’m devastated that any child must endure the trauma of gun violence or any kind of violence, I’m thankful that through the quick actions of first responders and medical providers, this child will survive these terrible injuries,” Waters said.
The day after the shooting, at least three bullet holes could be seen in the home’s front door. Two of them were near the same level as the doorknob and the other was through the right side of the door.
“There’s no reason for someone to go shoot into a house indiscriminately, especially when a 9-year-old is shot,” Waters said. “We’ve had this happen before many years ago. We are fortunate that this didn’t result in a death, but it’s still just as angering and frustrating, so we’re not going to tolerate it. I don’t care how old they are, and I don’t care for what reason.”
Waters said investigators began digging into the shooting right away and quickly identified the two teens as the shooters. They were each charged with attempted murder and shooting and throwing deadly missiles.
Waters said the child who was hit by the gunfire was not the target, “but they shouldn’t have been firing guns anyway.”
He said a 9 mm handgun that matches shell casings found at the scene was recovered during a search.
“Any time a child is hurt by gunfire violence in this city or any other kind of violence, our community suffers collective injury,” Waters said. “Our children are our most precious resource and it is simply unacceptable that they should be the unintended or intended victims of violence.”
Waters said the shooting was not gang-related and that there was “no excuse and no justification for this type of indiscriminate violence.”
“No child should know the pain that this child victim has endured and will continue to endure,” he said. “Our prayers are with the child victim and the victim’s family.”
NOTE: At this time, News4JAX is not naming the two teens because they are juveniles.