VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — Volusia County is dealing with a rise in teens being arrested for violent crime. Two 17-year-olds are facing weapons charges for their role in a shooting that seriously injured a 19-year-old Thursday night.
It happened in the parking lot of the High Sense Smoke Shop on Howland Boulevard in Deltona.
The sheriff’s office said just this week, 7 juveniles have been arrested on gun charges. That’s up from just one arrest this week last year.
Lisa Rosati was working in her smoke shop when this most recent shooting happened. She said the kids came in and she told them to go because they were underage. Moments later, she heard a gunshot, and one of the teens came back inside, covered in blood.
“They were on their phones and just looking, and I’m like, what’s going on, guys, and they’re like, we don’t know them. I am like, take it outside, then they all went out and pop right after. Shortly after,” said Rosati.
Deputies said the 19-year-old was carrying a gun when he walked up on other teens in the parking lot. He was then shot in the face by a 17-year-old.
The 19-year-old’s brother, who is also 17, hid his gun in the woods before going to the hospital. The sheriff’s office said both brothers have a lengthy criminal history and were on probation when the shooting happened.
Deputy Chief Brian Henderson said deputies are now doing proactive curfew checks for kids on probation.
“One to make sure they’re in compliance but also sometimes we uncover other crimes when we are at the house talking to the parents,” said Henderson.
This shooting comes about a month after teens jumped and stabbed another teen in Deltona. It’s a trend that bothers Mayor Santiago Avila Jr.
“The YMCA has a camp, Trinity has a camp, the Boys and Girls Club has a camp, there’s no excuse for the kids out there to say there’s nothing for me to do,” said Avila Jr.
Rosati hopes kids take advantage of those activities, so things don’t get worse over the summer.
“Once they get out in those streets, that’s when they’re going to do whatever they want,” said Rosati.
A mom was arrested this week for covering for her kid, who was involved in the stabbing in May. In last night’s shooting, a mom turned her teen in.
She said she saw what happened in the stabbing case and didn’t want to be arrested too.
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