Teen boy shoots 5-year-old after arguing with child’s father, Putnam deputies say

INTERLACHEN, Fla. — An argument on Tuesday night led to a 5-year-old being shot and a 17-year-old boy being arrested, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office said.

The 17-year-old is now facing the following charges: aggravated battery, three counts of aggravated assault and firing a missile into a vehicle. Action News Jax is not naming the teen because it has not yet been determined if he will be charged as an adult.

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The 5-year-old’s father, a man from Interlachen, told deputies that he thought the teen was flagging him down while he was driving, so he turned the car around on Oak Crest Drive.

When he drove up to the teen, the father told deputies the teen began arguing with him and pulled out a gun.

The victim’s mother told deputies that she thought the teen was walking away, but then she heard gunshots.

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The victim’s father drove to State Road 20 and Keuka Road where they were met by emergency personnel, PCSO said.

The child was flown to a Gainesville hospital and had surgery Wednesday morning. The child is currently in critical, but stable condition. No one else was injured.

The teen was located later Tuesday night and taken to the Putnam County Jail and then taken to a Department of Juvenile Justice facility.

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