'Operation Young Guns' aims to catch juveniles linked to gun violence in Volusia, Flagler

BUNNELL — "Operation Young Guns" is an initiative involving six law enforcement agencies, including four Sheriff's Offices from the Seventh Judicial Circuit, targeting juveniles who use stolen guns to commit violent crimes.

Sheriff's Offices from St. Johns, Putnam, Flagler and Volusia counties have teamed up with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and are test-firing seized guns. They are collecting shell casings information to put in a database — the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) — that will be used by law enforcement to match guns with crimes and offenders.

Gun characteristics much like DNA

Shannon Hamm, supervisory agent for ATF Jacksonville area, said the agency uses NIBIN to help law enforcement track down and lock up violent offenders. It is an investigative tool that ATF and its partners are using to build investigative links they can pursue in shootings.

"Every gun possesses a unique characteristic much like DNA or fingerprint," Hamm said. "It's imprinted in cartridge cases and bullets when it's fired. And that's what NIBIN is, it's able to compare those."

NIBIN uses the markings to make comparisons so investigators can learn which weapons were used in crimes, Hamm said.

"We can compare those markings to determine whether bullets or casings collected at a crime scene matches a particular firearm," Hamm said. "We test-fire firearms that law enforcement seize creating a unique casing to that weapon we can then enter into the NIBIN system that can link shootings, show us a pattern of violence in our communities."

According to the State Attorney's Office, since the operation began in May, more than 570 charges have been filed against offenders, including 283 in Volusia County and 83 in Flagler County.

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Juveniles charged as adults

Under the operation, juveniles arrested after being matched up with guns will be charged as adults and will serve long prison terms, said Seventh Judicial Circuit State Attorney R. J. Larizza.

Larizza and Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly, fired handguns into a a bullet trap outside the Kim C. Hammond Justice Center on Monday to show how the tool is being used.

The operation, which began in May, is an effort to curb the recent increase in gun violence, largely committed by juveniles, Larizza said.

"There has been quite an increase of troubling and dramatic gun violence especially with young kids," Larizza said at a press conference on Monday. "We decided that it was a threat that had to be addressed head on in the Seventh Circuit."

Larizza, whose office is spearheading the initiative, said he got together with sheriffs from the four counties to find ways to address the "young gun violence" and put parameters in place to curb it.

"When we look at what we call the young gun type of case, we've had kids as young as 12 years old who have been involved in gun violence or gun thefts," Larizza said.

Breaking into cars to steal guns

Juveniles cannot legally obtain firearms, so those involved in criminal activity have turned to the black market or car burglaries to get them, officials said.

"We have car breaks where the whole purpose is to get guns, maybe money, but primarily the target is guns," Larizza said. "We have had a dramatic increase in kids going around the different neighborhoods throughout the Seventh Circuit and beyond."

Last weekend, leaders of a local gang dropped some juveniles in a St. Johns County subdivision to check cars for guns, but a resident alerted the Sheriff's Office who made arrests, Larizza said.

"St. Johns County Sheriff's Office was able to make two arrests of young individuals, who were out with no other purpose but to break into cars and try to find firearms," he said.

Car break-ins have also plagued neighborhoods in Putnam, Flagler and Volusia counties, which have become hotspots for juvenile thieves, the top prosecutor said.

The four sheriffs praised and thanked Larizza for his initiative in tackling gun violence head-on, but said responsibility lies with the parents of the juveniles and residents. They stressed that residents need to be more responsible and start locking up their cars and guns.

Staly said guns and youth violence know no boundaries and steps need to be taken to make firearms harder to access.

"The important thing to take away is lock your guns up and if you have young kids at home secure your guns where they can't get them," Staly said.

St. Johns County Sheriff Robert Hardwick said at least 100 guns have been stolen from unlocked cars this year in his county.

Hardwick urged residents to lock their vehicles. He also asked parents to make sure they know where their children are, especially at night, because juveniles commit crimes "in the dark hours of night."

"We've made it so much easier by the way. All we simply do now is leave the firearms in the car with the doors unlocked and go to bed," Hardwick said.

Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said Larizza was a "no-nonsense prosecutor" who is doing what needs to be done to combat juvenile gun violence and send a clear message to offenders.

Chitwood also had a message to juveniles and their parents.

"If you are a little desperado and you think it's cool to get out of a car at 3 o'clock in the afternoon and strafe a house with over 50 rounds with an AK-47, we are coming to get your ass," Chitwood said. "Parents, we are coming after you, that's what this unity is about."

"If you don't want to make this list, and you don't want to see your kid on the news, start taking responsibility. Search their room, see where these firearms are," he said.

Stolen guns linked to crimes

Since Operation Young Guns began, ballistics information gathered have helped law enforcement link guns to crimes and arrests have been made with charges filed, Larizza said.

In Volusia County, Edgardo Hernandez, 19, was convicted of robbery with a firearm. The gun was reported stolen in Seminole County. Hernandez is awaiting sentencing but faces the maximum sentence of life in prison, Larizza said.

In Flagler County, Randy Alexander was convicted of attempted manslaughter with a stolen firearm and shooting into a building. Investigators recovered 34 casings at the scene of the crime.

In Putnam County, Timothy Scott, who was 15 when he shot two other teenagers with a stolen firearm, was convicted of attempted murder. Scott is awaiting sentencing.

Investigators are also working a case where guns taken in the burglary of a business in St. Johns County were used in a drive-by shooting, and two others were seized during an armed robbery in Jacksonville.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: 'Operation Young Guns' targets juveniles committing crimes with stolen guns