Orlando police have arrested a 10-year-old girl in connection to a Memorial Day shooting that left one woman dead.
The 10-year-old girl, who will not be identified due to her age, was charged with second-degree murder and taken into custody Tuesday.
Police say just before midnight on May 30, two women were fighting in the courtyard area between buildings at the Windsor Cove Apartments on Mercy Drive.
The women were identified as 31-year-old Lakrisha S. Isaac and 41-year-old Lashun Denise Rodgers.
According to witnesses, Isaac punched Rodgers at a barbecue at their apartment complex. The woman punched back, hitting Isaac in the face.
At some point, witnesses say Isaac “took off her backpack and gave it up” to her 10-year-old daughter.
As the two women continued to fight, witnesses say they saw the girl “rummaging through the backpack” and heard a gunshot.
The victim, Lushun Rodgers, fell to the ground with a “gunshot wound to the head.”
According to deputies, Isaac’s daughter then yelled, ”you shouldn’t have messed with my mother!”
At the time, the mother and daughter were taken into custody.
Isaac was arrested and faced a host of charges including not properly storing a firearm and manslaughter by culpable negligence.
It’s unclear why exactly police chose to charge the 10-year-old in this case and what’s next for her.
On Tuesday, State Attorney Monique Worrell called the case one of the most tragic she’s seen in her entire career.
“Our office has started the process of reviewing this case and will consider all of the facts, including the age of the child, and all of the surrounding circumstances, when making a charging decision,” a statement read from Worrell’s office. “We want to be clear in stating that no charging decision has been made by our office. However, we anticipate that whatever charges we eventually file, if any, will ensure she receives the interventions necessary to address her behavior, help her change and grow, and ensure the public’s safety going forward. We encourage the public to remember—no matter your feelings surrounding this tragedy—this is still a child.”
As a candidate for office, Worrell spoke in a WESH 2 commitment 2020 debate.
“I believe that the minimum age of arrest should be 14. And I believe very much and very strongly that there is a school-to-prison pipeline,” then-candidate Worrell said two years ago. “Arrests, prison, jailhouse are traumatic experiences that significantly scar our children for the future.”
