A 15-year-old has been charged as an adult in connection with a double shooting in Florida City last month that left one person dead.
Tobias Childress, 15, is charged with murder, armed robbery, attempted felony murder, possession of a weapon by a delinquent, and possession of a firearm by a minor, records showed.
Childress was initially arrested on April 23, but he has now been charged as an adult and was moved to the adult jail on Wednesday, according to records.
The shooting happened on April 18, at Southwest 6th Avenue and Southwest 7th Terrace in Florida City.
One victim was discovered with several gunshot wounds in the front passenger seat of a 2009 Buick Enclave and pronounced dead on the scene.
The driver of the Buick was discovered with a gunshot wound to the back and was rushed to Jackson South Medical Center in critical condition.
According to an arrest report, surveillance footage saw multiple shooters opening fire on the victims’ vehicle before fleeing on foot.
According to the report, Childress was identified as a person of interest, and the surviving victim identified him as one of the shooters.
According to the report, the victim told authorities that an associate had invited him to the location to swap marijuana in preparation for April 20.
When Childress was arrested, investigators discovered a pistol with a 24-round capacity magazine, as well as 21 live rounds of ammunition, according to the report.
According to the investigation, the pistol matched one displayed by Childress in social media videos posted on April 20 and 21, only days after the double shooting.
Childress is a recognized gang member, and in January 2024, at the age of 14, he was “adjudicated delinquent” in a Miami-Dade case of grand theft of a motor vehicle and burglary, according to the report.
Childress appeared in court on Thursday and received a public defender. The court also ordered his jailing without bond.
