PCSO major says teen who shot child, father of child are like Hatfields & McCoys
A five-year-old is in critical condition after allegedly being shot in the head during a roadside dispute between a driver and a 17-year-old pedestrian in Putnam County Tuesday evening.
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The incident occurred near Interlachen and according to the sheriff’s deputies it started when a driver said he was flagged over by the alleged shooter.
The driver sold deputies he was waived down by the 17-year-old suspect who was on foot at the intersection of Oakcrest Drive and 5th Way.
Deputies said the two got in an argument and the car tried to pull away.
Related Story: Teen boy shoots 5-year-old after arguing with child’s father, Putnam deputies say
That’s when deputies told us the 17-year-old opened fire, shooting six rounds into the car and striking the five-year-old in the head.
The car then drove a mile down SR-20 before linking up with EMS.
The five-year-old victim was airlifted to a Gainesville hospital where they underwent surgery to remove the bullet.
Deputies told us Wednesday the child remained in critical but stable condition.
At the time of the altercation, the 28-year-old male driver had a 37-year-old female in the passenger seat and an eight-year-old and the five-year-old in the back seat.
Deputies said the eight-year-old suffered cuts from broken glass.
Within hours, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office tracked down and arrested the 17-year-old suspect.
Read: Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office searching for evidence, possibly human remains, on Westside
“We got a lot of information received from several different parties and we were able to isolate where the shooter was located, and we were able to apprehend him at a house,” said Major Steve Rose with the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.
Action News Jax is choosing not to name the suspect because of his age.
But Rose said the driver and the suspected shooter had a long tumultuous relationship.
He compared them to the infamous Hatfields and McCoys — two rural families known for participating in one of the longest-running family feuds in US history.
“Don’t go looking for a fight because you don’t know what you’re gonna find when you get to that particular location,” said Major Rose. “And I get it that the gentleman who was driving the vehicle didn’t know it was going to escalate to this level, but if you’ve got young children in the car why put them in danger?”
The suspect was booked into the Department of Juvenile Justice Facility in Volusia County.
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He’s been charged with five felonies including aggravated battery and aggravated assault.
It will be up to the State Attorney whether to charge him as an adult or a juvenile.
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