FORT PIERCE, Fla. (CBS12) — A 16-year-old boy is in critical condition after a Fort Pierce shooting Thursday night that led to the arrest of three juvenile suspects.
Officers with the Fort Pierce Police Department say detectives with the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office were traveling eastbound on Avenue N around 9:15 p.m. on Thursday when they heard multiple gunshots nearby.
A 16-year-old boy is in critical condition after a Fort Pierce shooting Thursday night that led to the arrest of three juvenile suspects. (WPEC)
As they approached the scene near the intersection of North 23rd Street, detectives say they observed three boys scattering in different directions.
A neighbor, who asked CBS12 not to show his face, lives a couple doors down from where the shooting happened and heard the gunfire.
“I heard three gunshots and I come outside and I seen somebody laying down with his bicycle right there,” he said. “I didn’t know what really happened.”
While officers and deputies pursued the suspects, they found a teenage boy, armed with a 9mm pistol, lying on a sidewalk on top of a bicycle, suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. After the detectives performed life-saving measures, he was rushed to the hospital, underwent surgery, and is currently receiving treatment in the Trauma Intensive Care Unit.
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Police and deputies reportedly set up a perimeter and located all three suspects and two firearms promptly, per FPPD.
Authorities say one of the suspects was found using a K-9 unit and another was found hiding inside a recycling container.
At this time, a 16-year-old boy has been arrested and booked on counts of attempted homicide, tampering with evidence, and unlawful carrying of a firearm by a person under 18.
Anyone with information regarding this case is urged to contact police at 772-462-6800.