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A 12-year-old boy accused of firing on police in Florida with an AK-47 rifle made his first court appearance on Thursday, with Judge Michael Orfinger ordering the boy be detained for at least the next several weeks.
Travis O’Brien, who was represented by a public attorney, was ordered to be held in secure detention for 21 days or until the next court order by the judge, Click Orlando reports.
“There’s probable cause to believe that these acts occurred and that you committed them,” Judge Orfinger told the boy, who did not speak during the hearing.
The child was arrested alongside 14-year-old Nicole Jackson, who remains hospiatlised after being shot by deputies, and charged with attempted first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer and armed burglary.
On Tuesday, the children ran away from Florida United Methodist Children’s Home, a foster home, and broke into a residence around 7:30pm local time.
The homeowner and his three daughters were out of the house at the time on a grocery store run, but deputies were called after a neighbour alerted the family about a potential break-in.
In that time, Travis O’Brien and Nicole Jackson found several guns in the home, including a shotgun and an AK-47. When deputies arrived on the scene to investigate the break-in, they were reportedly fired upon by the children after attempting to communicate wtih them.
“The 14-year-old comes out of the garage with a pump shotgun, levels it at deputies and despite warnings to drop it, she walked back into the garage, she comes back a second time, and that’s when deputies opened fire after taking multiple rounds,” Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said on Tuesday.
He added that deputies “took fire” for about 30 minutes.
The 14-year-old was shot twice by deputies in the chest and arm. She remains in the hospital in critical but stable condition after undergoing surgery.
Travis O’Brien, who was armed with an AK-47, dropped his weapon after the other child was shot by deputies.
No deputies were injured during the shootout.
“I could not be prouder of the way my deputies acted,” Mr Chitwood said. “They went above and beyond for what they did. And also, I know tonight I’ll drop down on my hands and knees and pray that I’m not going to somebody’s home, one of my deputies’ homes, and telling them that they were killed in a line of duty and killed by a 12-year-old [or] a 14-year-old. This is unbelievable.”
Prior to the shootout, the children took baseball bats to tubs, toilets, and furniture inside the home. This resulted in an estimated $100,000 in damage, and the homeowner said he does not have insurance, WFTV reports.
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