13-year-old arrested, charged with shooting another teenager in Tampa, police say
TAMPA, Fla. - A 13-year-old was arrested on Sunday after police said he shot another teenager in Tampa last week.
According to the Tampa Police Department, a 15-year-old was shot on Thursday, Sept. 7. Officers responded to reports of a shooting that afternoon near East Seneca Avenue and East Jasmine Avenue.
Minutes later, another call came in alerting them to a 15-year-old male as the victim of the shooting. The teenager's injuries were not fatal.
TPD reported they quickly identified a 13-year-old suspect in the shooting. On Sunday, officers arrested the 13-year-old near where the shooting occurred. Police said he was found to be armed with a loaded handgun with one round in the chamber at the time of his arrest.
Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw spoke to the media Tuesday afternoon; he said the 13-year-old obtained the firearm by stealing it from an unlocked vehicle. He and Hillsborough County State Attorney Suzy Lopez urged the public to always lock their vehicle if it contains a firearm.
"It doesn't matter the age," Chief Bercaw said on Tuesday. "If you have a firearm, we're going to catch you, and we're going to get charges on you, so we take this seriously."
The Hillsborough state attorney said this isn't the teens first time in the criminal justice system. Lopez says when an adult crime is committed, there will most likely be adult consequences.
"The juvenile justice system is full of diversion programs that are quite appropriate when someone shoplifts, when someone steals something from a 7-Eleven or steals something from a store or even causes minor damage to property," Lopez said. "A gun is a completely different ballgame."
Bercaw has put heavy emphasis on community policing, saying that plays a huge role in helping to keep children out of trouble and prevent these crimes before they happen.
"We're not just police officers," Bercaw said. "We're human beings. And once people get to know us outside of doing traditional law enforcement work, then they learn to trust us, and they realize that they can tell us more about what's happening in the community. That's community oriented policing."
The Tampa Police Department has created several different programs aimed at connecting with children from young ages and providing positive mentorship.
Police also partner with a number of outside organizations that focus on giving children the tools and resources they need to succeed. One of those organizations is Men of Vision, Inc., which works with young men in the Tampa Bay area.
"It’s more so about the diet – what the young men are taking in," MarQuav’is Hamilton, with Men of Vision, Inc. said. "We have to be mindful of what they're watching. You know, the music that they're listening to as well, because it all becomes them at some point."
Hamilton, who was once a member of the program, says there is a 99% high school graduation rate among the young men in the program. He says the focus on giving young men the tools to succeed in school, find jobs and build a successful path to adulthood.
The teen was charged with two counts of Minor in Possession of a Weapon, two counts of Carrying a Concealed Firearm, Discharge of a Firearm in Public, and Aggravated Battery with Great Bodily Harm or Deadly Weapon, according to police.