Two children are in custody after an intense shootout between the minors and authorities broke out in a central Florida residence earlier this week.
The 12-year-old boy and the 14-year-old girl ran away from a Volusia County group home before they broke into a residence. The group home reported the kids missing on Tuesday, and community members helped locate the children after one individual reported hearing shattering glass at a nearby residence. When police arrived on the scene, they contacted the homeowner, who said that nobody was supposed to be in the house. The homeowner also alerted police that there was a handgun, a shotgun, and a disassembled AK-47 in the home along with hundreds of rounds of ammo. After the police arrived on the scene, the kids fired at the police multiple times, and police bodycam footage shows officers restraining to fire back once they realized they were being shot at by children.
Sheriff Mike Chitwood explained that the officers were shot at several times over the course of nearly an hour as the authorities worked to de-escalate the situation. While officers took cover behind a tree, they at one point tossed a cellphone into the residence to communicate with the children; however, the children refused.
The shootout ended after the 14-year-old girl was struck by officers. The girl had come out of the garage holding a shotgun pointed at the officers twice during the ordeal, and after the second time, the officers opened fire, striking her several times. The 12-year-old boy eventually surrendered as he laid down his weapon and approached the officers with his hands up. The 14-year-old was taken to a nearby hospital where her condition changed from critical to stable. Chitwood described the incident as “something I’ve never seen in 35 years in policing.”
During a press conference, Chitwood described the events with shocking details. He explained, “They were traversing the length of that house and opening fire on deputies from different angles.” Chitwood added, “They were out on the pool deck, they shot from the bedroom window, they shot from the garage door.” Chitwood also explained that although the AK-47 was disassembled, the children were able to put it together.
The brazen shooting has shone a spotlight on the care of at-risk juveniles. Chitwood criticized the Department of Juvenile Justice, stating, “What the hell is the Department of Juvenile Justice doing? Sending these kids to places that can’t handle them.”
Chitwood also criticized the group home, Florida United Methodist Children’s Home, stating that the facility has always been a problem. Chitwood reported that his deputies were called to the home 89 times this year and 289 times in 2020. The group home pushed back in a statement where they explained they were a "child welfare facility, not a secure care facility."
President and CEO of the group home Kitwana McTyer explained, "We are mandated by regulations that we are not allowed to restrain children unless they are at risk of injuring themselves or others around them." McTyer adds, "The Children's Home is mandated to contact law enforcement once a child breaches the perimeter of our property because it then becomes a community issue. Therefore, while there are many calls to the Sheriff's Department in a given year, it is important to note that not all calls are emergent in nature."
According to McTyer, the children were two of three individuals who were a part of the home’s Emergency Shelter Care Program. McTyer explained, "We have recently made changes to our Emergency Shelter Care program and have been working with our partners, including Sheriff Chitwood, Community Partnership for Children, and the Department of Child Welfare to address the state of child welfare in our community and the gaps in the system that result in the lack of adequate or appropriate placement for children who should at times be in the care of the Department of Juvenile Justice."
Sheriff Chitwood said that the changes to the program were “great” but that they were “a little late.”
The 14-year-old girl has a record including allegedly stealing puppies in 2018 and setting several fires that were near homes. The 12-year-old boy does not have a criminal history but was suspended from his school this year. He has been in the foster care system since 2016.
The group home from which the children fled alleged that the shootout was a “result of the system failing our children.” However, McTyer defends that the home “has a century of history in helping children who have been neglected, abandoned, and abused. He explains, "Our mission is empowering children and families to experience the transforming love of Christ through holistic care."
The children have been charged with attempted murder of a law enforcement officer and armed burglary.
