Nicole Jackson and Travis O'Brien: Foster kids, 14 and 12, who fired AK-47 at cops appear in court
VOLUSIA COUNTY, FLORIDA: Two Florida kids, 12 and 14 years old, stole an AK-47 and a shotgun from a group home and later fired shots at Volusia County sheriff’s deputies. Now reports suggest that both the children will be facing charges of attempted first-degree murder.
Travis O’Brien and Nicole Jackson, who are in hospital after being shot by deputies, were arrested on charges of armed burglary and attempted murder of law enforcement officers. Authorities have released body camera footage showing the tense moments surrounding a shootout between Florida deputies and two children armed with an AK-47 and a shotgun.
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Last month we reported a similar incident when a Sixth-grade girl in Idaho middle school open fired and injured 3 people, later a teacher disarmed her. The teacher was identified as Krista Gneiting, who hugged the young shooter to stop her.
During the virtual court appearance on Thursday, June 3 morning, Judge Michael Orfinger ordered that O’Brien, who’s represented by a public defender, be held in secure detention for 21 days or until the next court order. “There’s probable cause to believe that these acts occurred and that you committed them,” Orfinger said to O’Brien, who didn’t speak during the hearing. Orfinger also ordered O’Brien to be arraigned on June 23.
The shootout happened Tuesday, June 1 night in Enterprise, an unincorporated community in Florida’s Volusia County. According to deputies, a 12-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl opened fire on deputies after breaking into a home. The sheriff’s office says the incident started when the two children ran away from Florida United Methodist Children’s Home earlier in the evening. Later, while deputies were out searching for the children, a witness reported hearing glass break at a home on Enterprise Osteen Road. Deputies say they approached the home and saw two figures inside. When they contacted the homeowner, deputies learned no one was supposed to be in the house and there was “a handgun, a shotgun and an AK-47 inside, along with a large amount of ammunition.” No one was home at the time as the homeowner and his teenage daughters had recently left to go to Publix.
After speaking with the homeowner, the police surrounded the house and made announcements to try and contact whoever was inside. That’s when the sheriff’s office says the children started shooting at deputies. According to the sheriff’s office, O’Brien was armed with an AK-47 and the 14-year-old girl was armed with a shotgun. Deputies say the children shot at them four separate times throughout the incident. Jackson was eventually shot when she came out of the garage and pointed the shotgun at deputies, according to the sheriff’s office. The boy surrendered.
It was reported that Jackson was taken to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries. “Deputies did everything they could tonight to de-escalate, and they almost lost their lives to a 12-year-old and a 14-year-old,” Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said. “If it wasn’t for their training and their supervision…somebody would have ended up dead.” Both children are facing charges of attempted first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer and armed burglary.