Well, one day after *** child was shot and killed at an Orlando apartment complex, questions still remain unanswered. It happened at the Stella West apartment complex off State Road 438 yesterday. West 2’s Avery Everett joins us now live outside the police department. So Avery, have police said at this point if the shooting was accidental or intentional? The department has not confirmed that, and we’re also still waiting for police to confirm the name of this child after the shooting. Gun safety advocates have been raising concerns. Now they’re calling for accountability and awareness. Now lay in front of the Orlando apartment complex where *** child was shot and killed on Friday. But while the crime scene tape is gone, neighbors are still trying to make sense of what happened at the Stella West off Silver Star Road. I believe it was hurting. It was painful. Neighbors told us they know who this child was. Orlando police have not released *** name or age. The department has also not said if *** person responsible has been identified. Bishop Derek McRae says he’s seen tragedies like this before, and he does not want to see another. Not again. That’s the initial reaction. Just not again. It’s happening too often, happening too much. McRae is an advocate against gun violence after recent shooting. involving teenagers or children here in Central Florida, he says now is *** time to talk about solutions. One child is too much, and that’s the beginning conversations. The more we turn *** blind eye, the closer it gets to us. Crime no longer has zip codes. Crime is happening everywhere. That’s why he’s calling for action. They’re not just the future, they’re our now. As the community waits for answers in this latest case, McRae says the focus cannot end when *** crime scene clears. The neighbors I’ve spoken to about that child remember them as kind and respectful. As soon as we get an update from police, we’ll keep you updated on West.com covering Orange County Live in Orlando. I’m Avery Everett. West 2 News.
As Orlando police investigate child’s shooting death, advocate calls for gun safety
Updated: 10:08 PM EDT Jul 18, 2026
One day after a child was shot and killed at an apartment complex, questions still remain unanswered. WESH 2 News first reported this shooting on Friday. It happened at Stella West off Silver Star Road. As of Saturday, the Orlando Police Department has not named the child or said if a person responsible for this shooting has been identified. Derrick McRae, the bishop at the Experience Christian Center, said he’s seen tragedies like this before, and he doesn’t want to see another. “‘Not again’ — that’s the initial reaction,” McRae said. “It’s happening too often.” McRae is an advocate against gun violence. After recent shootings involving teenagers and children in Central Florida, he said now is a time to talk about solutions. “One child is too much, and that’s the beginning conversation,” McRae said. “The more we turn a blind eye, the closer it gets to us.”That’s why he’s now calling for action and accountability. Youth “are not just the future, they’re our now,” McRae said. “Crime no longer has ZIP codes. Crime is happening everywhere.”
ORLANDO, Fla. —
One day after a child was shot and killed at an apartment complex, questions still remain unanswered.
WESH 2 News first reported this shooting on Friday. It happened at Stella West off Silver Star Road. As of Saturday, the Orlando Police Department has not named the child or said if a person responsible for this shooting has been identified.
Derrick McRae, the bishop at the Experience Christian Center, said he’s seen tragedies like this before, and he doesn’t want to see another.
“‘Not again’ — that’s the initial reaction,” McRae said. “It’s happening too often.”
McRae is an advocate against gun violence. After recent shootings involving teenagers and children in Central Florida, he said now is a time to talk about solutions.
“One child is too much, and that’s the beginning conversation,” McRae said. “The more we turn a blind eye, the closer it gets to us.”
That’s why he’s now calling for action and accountability.
Youth “are not just the future, they’re our now,” McRae said. “Crime no longer has ZIP codes. Crime is happening everywhere.”