Who is Nicole Jackson? Florida girl, 14, who stole guns to shoot cops, inspired by Grand Theft Auto
VOLUSIA COUNTY, FLORIDA: Nicole Jackson, the 14-year-old girl who teamed up with her 12-year-old friend Travis O'Brien to shoot at Florida police officers, was seriously hurt in the incident. It was reported that the two children ran away from Florida United Methodist Children’s Home, a foster home, and broke into an empty house in Enterprise later that night, stocked with guns and ammunition. The teenagers armed themselves with AK-47s and loaded magazines and later started shooting at the Sheriff's deputies who surrounded the house.
According to Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood, the children fired from different angles and the girl Nicole even threatened to kill a sergeant. Later, the authorities learned from Travis that Nicole had allegedly made a reference to the video game Grand Theft Auto before launching the attack on police.
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Travis O’Brien and Nicole Jackson, who are in the 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 moments of the shootout between Florida deputies and two children armed with an AK-47 and a shotgun.
The duo allegedly fired at the deputies for half an hour, after which the girl emerged from the garage and pointed her shotgun at the deputies more than once.
Later, Travis admitted to the investigators that Nicole had said, "I'm gonna roll this down like GTA," before launching the attack. She was shot and injured by a deputy who wanted to restrain her. Presently, she is in critical but stable condition and undergoing treatment at a hospital.
Who is Nicole Jackson?
The full name of the 14-year-old shooter is Nicole Marie Jackson Maldonado. Recently, in April 2021, she was arrested on a series of felony arson charges for setting several brush fires in her own B-Section neighborhood, when she was a student at Buddy Taylor Middle School and living in a group home on Burgundy Place. “This young lady needs a lot of help... I hope she does not do it again and instead gets the help she needs,” Sheriff Rick Staly had said at the time.
On the day of the shootout with police on June 1, Nicole Jackson, along with her 12-year-old friend Travis O'Brien, went swimming at Green Springs Park, according to the arrest report. Deputies had been requested at the park at 6.17 pm because of the presence of eight to 10 juveniles swimming there. When the deputies arrived, Jackson smiled at a deputy and “took off on foot towards the bike paths,” with the 12-year-old following closely behind her. The pair managed to elude the deputies. A little over an hour later, passers-by alerted authorities to glass breaking at the Enterprise Osteen Road house where the shootout occurred.
Narrating the incident, Sheriff Chitwood said, "Deputies did everything they could tonight to de-escalate and they almost lost their lives. They took rounds -- multiple, multiple rounds -- before they were left with no other choice but to return fire." He further added that they tried a lot of ways but nothing could refrain the children from shooting at them. "Nothing, nothing worked. They were coming out to kill cops."
Meanwhile, CEO of Florida United Methodist Children's Home Kitwana McTyer stated, "These children are in desperate need of care in the appropriate setting, which is a higher level of care than we provide."