ORLANDO, Fla. — A Florida sheriff says his deputies did everything they could to de-escalate the situation after a 14-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy broke into a home, found weapons and opened fire on officers.
Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood says deputies eventually shot the girl after she raised a shotgun at them, and the boy surrendered with an AK-47.
According to WKMG-TV in Orlando, the incident began Tuesday night when the pair ran away from Florida United Methodist Children's Home, a foster home, on Tuesday night.
While looking for the children, deputies were approached by a resident who said they heard shattering glass at a nearby house. When deputies contacted the homeowner, he warned them that there were several firearms inside the house.
Watch police body camera footage from the incident below. The video contains images of gun violence that may be difficult to watch.
Deputies said that the children — armed with a pump shotgun and an AK-47 — fired at officers at around 8:30 local time. That led to a standoff and occasional shots from the children over about 30 minutes.
The sheriff's office says deputies did not fire during the standoff with the hopes of de-escalating the situation. However, deputies eventually fired their weapons when they say the 14-year-old girl aimed a shotgun at deputies and ignored warnings to drop the gun.
Deputies shot the girl multiple times. WKMG reports that she was shot in the chest and arm. She was in critical but stable condition Wednesday following surgery.
The boy later surrendered and was not hurt during the incident. No deputies were injured.
ABC News reports that the 12-year-old boy told investigators that girl told him that she was "gonna roll this down like GTA," referring to the Grand Theft Auto video games.
Both children have been charged with first-degree attempted murder and armed burglary, ABC News reports.
