Florida Sheriff Calls for Juvenile Justice Reform After 2 Foster Children Armed Themselves With Guns and Shoot at Cops
A Florida sheriff called for juvenile justice reform after two foster children got involved in a recent shooting incident with deputies in Volusia County.
Orlando Sentinel reported that Florida sheriff Mike Chitwood called for reform as he blamed the tragic incident on the state legislators and a broken juvenile justice system.
The shooting incident between deputies and the foster children happened on Tuesday, June 1. It added to the recent series of shooting incidents in the United States. It can be remembered that a firefighter dies in Santa Clarita, Los Angeles after being shot by an off-duty colleague on Tuesday, June 1.
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Florida Sheriff Blames Juvenile Justice System for the Shooting Incident Involving the Foster Children
A day following the incident, Volusia County sheriff Mike Chitwood blamed the incident on the broken juvenile justice system of Florida that allows young, violent criminals to be released without enforcing measures dedicated to reformation.
Orlando Sentinel reported that Chitwood called for legislators to take violent juvenile crimes seriously.
Chitwood also challenged the legislators to "get on the streets" and engage in a conversation with the victims of juvenile crimes and hopefully make legislation that will allow deputies to treat such crimes as seriously as those committed by adults.
"The juvenile justice system is broken. People need to face facts," said Chitwood, adding that the Department of Juvenile Justice wanted to put violent teenagers in places that can't contain them.
Florida Foster Children Utilized Stolen Firearms as they Opened Fire to Cops
The Florida sheriff's call for juvenile justice reform came as two foster children, aged 12 and 14, broke into a home and used stolen firearms as they opened fire to the officers. The foster children ran away from the Florida United Methodist Children's Home in Enterprise and were reported missing at around 5 p.m.
According to Newsweek, authorities said a passerby reported hearing a glass break at 1050 Enterprise in Osteen Road at about 7:30 p.m.
In a statement, authorities noted that they contacted the homeowner and found that there was no one home. The homeowner also said there was a handgun, a shotgun, and an AK-47, with nearly 200 rounds of ammunition inside their home.
Orlando Sentinel reported that the 14-year-old girl fired the first shot to the police from the back patio of the home at around 8:30 p.m.
The two children fired at the authorities on four different occasions. The girl was shot and wounded by the police after she came out of the garage.
She was initially brought to Central Florida Regional Hospital with fatal injuries before she was transferred to a different hospital.
Police said she was in stable condition after the surgery. Meanwhile, the 12-year-old boy was unharmed during the shooting incident. However, he was also transported to Central Florida Regional Hospital to be treated for diabetes.
"Deputies did everything they could tonight to de-escalate, and they almost lost their lives to a 12-year-old and a 14-year-old," said Chitwood.
Reports said the 14-year-old girl had a criminal record of stealing dogs and was sentenced to a halfway house that she burned down on April 10.
The 12-year-old boy has no criminal history, but he was reprimanded for threatening a school administrator and another student this spring.
READ MORE: Miami Mass Shooting: 2 Dead, More Than 20 Hurt; $125,000 Reward Offered to Find Killers
WATCH: Sheriff Chitwood Criticizes Children's Home Where Shooting Suspects Escaped - From WKMG News 6 ClickOrlando
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