CAPE CORAL, Fla. -- Some in Cape Coral raised concern about crime involving youth, Tuesday, after a 14-year-old was shot in the face over the weekend.
Police say a 14-year-old Cape Coral boy was critically injured by gunfire Sunday evening. According to Cape Coral Police, the 14-year-old boy suffered gunshot wounds to the face and back at a home in the 2200 block of NW Embers Terrace. He was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. A search of the neighborhood revealed a 19-year-old man hiding in the yard of a home a few blocks away on SW 17th Place. That man had a gunshot wound to the calf. "I just heard shooter, shooters on the loose," said one neighbor describing the aftermath. "They had officers with their rifles looking at the back of the truck, looking at our house and everything."
This comes less than two weeks after Fox 4 reported another violent crime in the Cape involving teens. 19-year-old Justus Pierce is facing attempted murder charges for opening fire on another teen during a drive-by shooting, with an AK-47. That victim's attorney, Tom Busatta, said his client was a target of young drug dealers in the community. "I never believed it would come to this in Cape Coral, with so many drive-by shootings," he said in an interview when the incident happened.
Are these violent crimes involving teens a troubling trend in the Cape? Fox 4 spoke with Lt. Dana Coston from the Cape Coral Police Department, who said Cape Coral doesn't have the same dynamic as a bigger urban city and isn't exactly the right environment for traditional street gangs to flourish. However, they do see some teens turning to crime and it's not unique to Cape Coral. "It's rather a nation-wide phenomenon that you see with juvenile criminal activity. A lot of it can be traced back to something that's lacking in the child's personal life," said Lt. Coston.
Lt. Coston has worked with youth crimes and gangs for over ten years. He tells me when a young person starts a pattern of re-offending, crimes often escalate as well. The department offers programs to help keep kids on the right path. This includes their Police Explorers program and Police Athletic League. Both programs offer hands-on mentoring and scholarship opportunities.
Sunday night's shooting remains an active investigation. If you have any information that could help police, call the Cape Coral Police Department, or you can anonymously call CrimeStoppers at 1-800 780-TIPS.
