Two more young individuals, who are minors, have been charged as adults in the case of a triple shooting that resulted in the tragic death of a six-year-old girl.
This development occurred over two weeks after the reported drive-by incident on Poppy Avenue in Orlando. The mother of the six-year-old victim was also wounded but is expected to recover.
Isaiyah Wright, aged 19, also lost his life in the incident. According to police, he was implicated in the shooting.
On Saturday, the cases of 17-year-olds Brandon Pickett and Kny Adams were transferred from juvenile court. Presently, all four individuals who were arrested are facing identical charges.
These include 15-year-old Nico Brown, Brandon Pickett, Kny Adams, and 18-year-old Ricky Bowery Jr. They are charged with two counts of second-degree murder, shooting into a building, and one count of attempted felony murder.
Criminal defense attorney Eben Self expressed that he wasn’t surprised by these developments when speaking to Channel 9 News.
“The question becomes, is it the right thing to do? And is it the right thing to do for our community? There are lots of criticisms of the juvenile justice system. One of those criticisms is, it takes a lot of criminal offenses before the sentences catch up with those juveniles because we treat juveniles differently than we treat adults,” Self stated. “But this prosecutor believes that we should treat juveniles as adults.”
In a statement issued just one week ago, newly appointed State Attorney Andrew Bain told the public that “gang and gun violence in our community will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Self stated that this approach differs from some other state attorney’s offices, which tend to handle non-shooters and shooters differently.
The police are currently searching for a fifth suspect, Tyrik Nichols. Anyone with information they believe may assist investigators can contact the Orlando Police or Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS (8477). Tips that lead to an arrest could qualify for a $5,000 reward.
