Sarasota police works to reach youth following shooting that landed 2 teens behind bars

SARASOTA, Fla. - The investigation into the deadly Sarasota shooting that landed two teenagers behind bars is far from over. The SWAT team was out as the Sarasota Police Department served a search warrant just two blocks from where the teens are accused of shooting and killing a 28-year-old man. 

Investigators said Tujuan Byrd, 15, and Ladarius Goodman-Mills, 14, shot and killed the 28-year-old husband and father, who they didn't even know. Neighbors said he was working on a car Thursday evening when shots were fired. 

Pieces of crime scene tape could still be found off of 31st Street and Osprey Avenue on Wednesday, nearly a week after the shooting happened. 

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"The victim was a very hard worker. Really good person and was ultimately minding his own business when this incident occurred," said Sarasota Police Chief Rex Troche. 

As the two young teens face murder charges, Troche said his agency is working to try and reach children before they make a life-altering decision that will impact themselves and the community. 

"We are really trying to engage the kids and show them that we care about them, and unfortunately in this case here, some of these kids don’t come from perfect homes. Some of them aren’t raised by a mom and a dad. Some of them have a grandmother that is raising them. Or a single parent and that’s hard," he said. 

The police department unveiled new flashy trucks that will be used by its Community Relations Unit to help bridge the gap with the area's youth, while also catching their attention. Troche hopes it keeps children busy during the summer months and lets them know there's more than life on the streets. 

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"There is something beyond their walls," Troche said. "Unfortunately, a lot of these kids only see a 5 block radius of what’s out in the world, and they don’t understand there is way more to it."

The trucks were purchased from an opioid prevention grant from the attorney general’s office. They can also be used in high water rescues. 

While Troche knows the department can’t reach every kid, they are working to help those they can. 

"There is a better life, you just have to continue to work hard and that no one has already written your narrative. You write your own narrative," Troche stressed. 

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