2 teens killed in Brevard deputy shooting; few details about what led to gunfire

18-year-old Sincere Pierce, 16- year-old Anthony Crooms fatally shot on Nov. 13

COCOA, Fla. – Three days after a Brevard County deputy-involved shooting in Cocoa, the sheriff’s office has confirmed two teenagers were killed during the incident.

Few details were released by the Sheriff’s Office, Cocoa police or the Florida Department of Law Enforcement on Nov. 13 after gunfire erupted in a Cocoa neighborhood around 10:30 a.m. The sheriff’s office didn’t confirm the deaths of 18-year-old Sincere Pierce and 16-year-old Angelo “AJ” Crooms until Monday.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, deputies were investigating an earlier incident near U.S. 1 and State Road 528 when deputies tried to make contact with two people in a car near Stetson Drive and Ivy Drive.

No information about what happened in the moments before the shooting was provided.

“At that time a deputy involved shooting incident occurred,” a news release from the sheriff’s office reads.

Crooms and Pierce, both of Cocoa, were taken to the hospital where they were pronounced dead.

While the sheriff’s office is now confirming the fatal shooting, the mother of one of the teens told News 6 on Friday she saw her son’s body in the car after the shooting.

“I see my son from the back seat laid down like this when I saw my son go down, I knew my baby was dead,” Cynthia Green said Friday.

Video from the shooting scene showed a car with bullet holes in the windows.

The sheriff’s office has not released the name of the deputy who opened fire. The deputy is on paid administrative leave. The shooting is under FDLE investigation, which is standard protocol when a law enforcement officer uses deadly force.

News 6 has requested body camera video from the shooting and other public records.