A 17-year-old male was arrested late Saturday evening, after unintentionally shooting himself while stealing a car, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.
Tallahassee Police Department stopped the stolen car near the intersection of Miccosukee Road and Magnolia Drive.
Arrested on concealed firearm and vehicle theft charges, TPD disclosed, “Two males were inside of the vehicle and one of them appeared to have a gunshot wound to his leg.”
“He shot himself accidentally while stealing a car in the 500 block of Yeager Street, just south of the East Magnolia Drive and Meridian Street intersection,” said Rachelle Denmark, TDP spokeswoman.
After shooting himself, the adolescent requested that his friend take him to the hospital.
TPD said, “He handed his friend the keys to a stolen vehicle.”
After his injuries were medically examined, the unidentified male was transported to the Juvenile Assessment Center.
Incidents such as this bring more concern to Leon County citizens about the outbreaks of crime in the city.
Charles Collins, a Tallahassee resident since 1995, grew up in South Shore Chicago and has watched Leon County’s crime rate turn in to that of his hometown.
“As long as I lived in ‘Chiraq,’ it was not until I came here that I seen a guy get shot standing right next to me,” Collins said. “I would say that we need to amend the laws concerning gun control but ultimately if you are a criminal you would disregard the law anyway.”
Candace Daymond, a Tallahassee native said, “If energy and oil can be regulated, I don’t see why gun manufactures have no maximum quota as to how many guns can be made.”
Police Officer Christopher Worth, of the Orange County Police Department and father of two sons believes that the local crime is taking place because of the absence of men in their kids lives.
“Everyday it is getting harder for me to raise two men when all they see outside my house our images of boys that want to be thugs and their friends that don’t necessarily have a father around,” he said sighing. “In my line I see our black boys continue to fall by the wasteside. As an officer, I know that TPD is doing their part to keep the streets safe and as a parent I can only image how the mothers of these two kids feel.”