Authorities: 2 Children Wounded, Father Killed in Shooting During Florida Fistfight

Deputies in Florida have issued an arrest warrant for a subject allegedly involved in a shooting on Wednesday that put two wounded children in the hospital and killed one of their fathers, following a fistfight on a local street.

In a press release on Thursday, the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) identified Demetrius Roberts, 18, as one of the subjects involved in the case. An arrest warrant has been issued for Roberts “for delinquent in possession of a firearm & carrying a concealed weapon in connection with the shooting,” according to PSCO. 

Demetrius Roberts, 18, was identified as one of the subjects involved in this incident. PSO has obtained arrest warrants for Roberts' arrest for delinquent in possession of a firearm & carrying a concealed weapon in connection with the shooting as the investigation is ongoing. pic.twitter.com/k6FTOF0lXo

— Pasco Sheriff (@PascoSheriff) May 19, 2022

At a press conference on Wednesday evening, Major Jeffery Peake of the PCSO said the shooting occurred at around 1 p.m. at Johns Road, in Dade City, Florida, following a street fight involving two teenage girls. 

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“While they were fistfighting, other people – family, associates, friends, anyone in that area – became involved as far as coming near the scene where they were fighting. At some point, one or more people began shooting their weapon,” Peake said. 

Peake noted that bullets struck three victims; the victims were not identified, but include an 11-year-old boy, a 16-year-old girl, and the boy’s father, who later succumbed to his injuries. The children and the father were not involved in the fistfight, according to Peake. Authorities are still unsure what the fight was about. 

Fox 13 reported that the “two juveniles were taken to an area hospital for treatment.” The PCSO later announced on Thursday that their injuries are “non-life-threatening.” and they  “are expected to recover.”

Peake did not specify at the press conference if there were any suspects in custody and said that the sheriff’s office was still conducting interviews. 

“The case is still very fluid,” Peake said. “We have detectives at the hospital, we have detectives out at the scene. And we’re interviewing many different people, putting this all together, so we can determine exactly what happened and how it happened.”

At the press conference on Wednesday, Peake noted that it was “possible” that more than one weapon was used, and in Thursday’s press release, the PCSO noted that there were multiple subjects involved in the case, but only identified Roberts as allegedly being involved. 

During the press conference, Peake expressed that “this case is very troubling, very disturbing,” and later mentioned that this is a parent’s “worst nightmare.”

Authorities have asked the public to come forward with any information relating to this case and call the PCSO crime tip line at 1-800-706-2488 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS (8477).

You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.