Florida sheriff says teen gang members, not weapons, chargeable for three slayings

A Florida sheriff introduced the arrests Friday of two alleged gang members and the hunt for a 3rd suspect within the capturing deaths of three teen companions, whereas the lawman warned the media to not flip the slayings right into a name for extra gun management.

Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods mentioned at a press convention that the murders are a results of mother and father and colleges failing to boost the male teenage suspects correctly, and their crime spree shouldn’t be a mirrored image of any want for stricter gun legal guidelines.

“There are individuals out there, including the media, who want to blame the one thing that has no ability, no capacity to commit the crime itself and that’s the gun. These individuals committed the crime,” the sheriff mentioned. “The bad guy is gonna get a gun no matter what law you have put in place. These juveniles shouldn’t even possess a handgun. Well, they did.”

The juveniles concerned within the killings, each the victims and the accused killers, have been a part of a wannabe gang that carried out a sequence of robberies that teenagers known as “licks.” Sheriff Woods mentioned police arrested two male youngsters within the capturing deaths that happened over the previous week and have been trying to find a 3rd suspect.

He mentioned the suspects knew the three victims: Layla Silvernail, 16, and one other 16-year-old feminine and 17-year-old male who haven’t been recognized publicly.

The sheriff mentioned the motive within the gang’s crimes was theft.

“Basically, in simple terms, there is no honor among thieves,” Sheriff Woods mentioned. “At some point, these three individuals turned on our three victims and murdered them. They fled the scenes but left a lot of evidence in their wake.”

He criticized a society that will let youth become involved in a violent crime spree.

“The fact is society failed here. We do not hold our juveniles accountable; we minimize their actions,” he mentioned. “School districts across the state and across this nation need to stop minimizing the actions of their students. Hold them accountable. That’s where the failure is.”

Sheriff Woods mentioned when he was elevating his three sons, “the friggin’ barber had my permission to whip their asses” in the event that they stepped out of line.