14-year-old killed, 15-year-old critically injured in Orange County shooting

PINE HILLS, Fla. – A 14-year-old boy was killed and a 15-year-old boy was critically wounded late Monday in an Orange County neighborhood shooting, according to deputies.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said Dennis Joshua Atkinson, who attended Evans High School, died in the shooting, which was reported at 11:07 p.m. in the 1600 block of Glendale Road in Pine Hills.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called to the area and found the teens shot in front of a home.

Both victims were taken to a hospital with traumatic wounds, and Atkinson was pronounced dead, according to deputies.

[TRENDING: Does coronavirus spread easily among children? | Gunman shoots 2 teens at skating rink | Michael Jordan forms NASCAR team with Bubba Wallace]

Atkinson’s mother told News 6 that her son was sitting on a porch in the neighborhood when someone drove by and opened fire.

Evans High School Rolando Bailey sent a message to the campus community notifying them of the death and encouraging them to speak with a grief counselor if they would like.

“I’m calling with some very sad news to share with you. We were made aware of a very tragic situation that claimed the life of one of our students today. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family as they go through this extremely difficult time,” Bailey said.

Brandon Corbett lives nearby where the shooting happened.

“It’s very sad because my youngest is 14. It hurts,” said Brandon Corbett. “They got guns that need to be taken off these streets because the wrong people have them.”

Another neighbor who didn’t want to use his name said, “You have neighbors who have kids, too, and bullets don’t have a name. It can change, shift and hit anybody.”

No details about the suspected shooter have been released.

Detectives said anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS.