Three Florida Deputies Shot at; 14-year-old Charged With Attempted Murder

Wauchula, FL – On November 26, three Hardee County deputies were shot at by a 14-year-old burglary suspect, who has now been charged with three counts of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer as well as theft of a firearm and armed burglary.

Deputies were responding to a call of a suspected burglary on Vandolah Road west of Wauchula. When they arrived, the 14-year-old boy, who was armed with both a pistol and a shotgun, began firing at them. Officers fired back and struck him at least one time. No officers were hit.

The boy was said to have been reported missing from the nearby Lakeside Neurologic brain injury rehabilitation facility prior to the encounter with police, although it is unclear if his treatment there was complete. It’s also unclear whether the firearms were stolen from the residences he broke into or somewhere else.

The teenager was airlifted to the Tampa General Hospital, but he has since been released and transferred to the Department of Juvenile Justice. As of the time of this writing, he is being charged as a juvenile.

All three officers have returned to work and been cleared of any wrong doing.