DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A 12-year-old boy facing an attempted murder charge after a shootout earlier this week with Volusia County sheriff’s deputies appeared before a judge Thursday morning.
The boy and 14-year-old, who remains hospitalized after being shot by deputies, were arrested on charges of armed burglary and attempted murder of law enforcement officers. News 6 originally decided to name and show pictures of the children due to the seriousness of the incident and the charges they are facing; however, we have made the decision to change course on naming them or showing pictures after learning of their mental health history.
[TRENDING: Video: Shootout between children, deputies | Fla. man survives alligator bite to head | Fla. woman found underground -- again]
During a virtual court appearance Thursday morning, Judge Michael Orfinger ordered the 12-year-old, who’s represented by a public defender, be held in secure detention for 21 days or until the next court order.
“There’s probable cause to believe that these acts occurred and that you committed them,” Orfinger said to the boy, who didn’t speak during the hearing.
Orfinger also ordered the boy to be arraigned on June 23.
Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said late Tuesday that the 12-year-old boy and the 14-year-old girl ran away from Florida United Methodist Children’s Home, a foster home, and broke into a house in Enterprise. No one was home at the time as the homeowner and his teenage daughters had recently left to go to Publix.
Authorities said the children found several guns, including a shotgun and an AK-47, inside the home and opened fire on deputies as they investigated a report of a break-in. Chitwood said his deputies “took fire” for about 30 minutes.
[RELATED: Homeowner believes house targeted over sheriff’s star | Body cam video shows shootout]
“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,” Chitwood said.
The girl was shot in the chest and in the arm. According to Chitwood, she was fighting for her life but was later listed in stable but critical condition.
Deputies said the boy, who was armed with the AK-47, dropped the gun about 30 seconds later.
Chilling body camera video is giving insight into the shootout between Volusia County deputies and two children on Tuesday. The video’s release comes as one of the suspect’s is set to face a judge this morning. https://t.co/RZoORdBI9n pic.twitter.com/oH55bLDEHe
— Mark Lehman (@MarkLehman6) June 3, 2021
“I could not be prouder of the way my deputies acted. 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 a 14-year-old. This is unbelievable,” Chitwood said after the shootout.
Chitwood described the girl and the 12-year-old as “Bonnie and Clyde” and said they shot at deputies from several vantage points in the home, including the pool deck, the bedroom and from the garage. He also called the pair “evil.”
“Their conversation was they were going to kill my sergeant. They were coming out to kill cops. They were coming out to kill deputies, that’s the conversation,” Chitwood said.