FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. — A Flagler County teen is behind bars after deputies say he shot another teen with a BB gun on Thursday.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office was notified by Advent Health about a 15-year-old who came into the emergency room with a gunshot wound to the abdomen.
The teenage victim told deputies he was shot while walking along a bike trail on his way home from football practice when they were yelled at by another teen from his home, deputies say.
He reportedly was shouting at the two teens from a screened-in patio telling them to leave the area and go home. The two teens continued along the bike trail when a teen approached them with a rifle, which was later found to be a BB gun.
The two teens tried to leave the area when a single shot was fired, striking the victim and causing him to fall to his knees, deputies say.
According to the victim, the suspect then ran inside his home laughing. The two teenage victims continued home and the injured teen notified his mother of the incident.
He was then taken to the AdventHealth-Palm Coast to be treated for his non-life-threatening-injuries, FCSO says.
Based on the information provided by the victim, deputies were able to identify the suspect.
The suspect told deputies that he was sitting outside when the two teens showed up at the back of his home on the bike trail.
He told them to “go home” and when they didn’t leave, he grabbed a BB gun to scare them. He then aimed the BB rifle and using the rifle’s scope fired the BB gun one-time toward them and went back inside his home, deputies say.
“This young man is on a fast track to serious trouble,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “His actions could have caused serious injury and I’m glad the victim is going to be ok. I hope this kid learns his lesson and can get on the right path moving forward. Also, parents are reminded that under Florida law the only time a child under age 16 may use a BB or pellet gun is if they are under the supervision and in the presence of an adult.”
The suspect was arrested and transported to Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility.
He’s being charged with Aggravated Assault and Aggravated Battery Causing Bodily Harm. He has since been released into the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice.
