Law enforcement officials Accuse teens of Stealing personal automobile, Kill 16yo driver and 18yo Passenger

A tragedy unfolded in Florida earlier this month as two teens were gunned down in their vehicle after police — reportedly wrongfully accused them of stealing it.

Angelo Crooms, 16, and Sincere Pierce, 18, both of Cocoa, Florida, succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds earlier this month after deputy Jafet Santiago-Miranda opened fire on them, dumping multiple rounds into the vehicle.

According to police, deputies Santiago-Miranda and Carson Hendren began following the car they thought was possibly stolen. in step with the family, however, it had been not stolen.

Natalie A. Jackson, a lawyer for Mr. Pierce’s great-aunt and fiduciary, Cynthia Green, told the NY Times the car that the teenagers were in belonged to Crooms’s girlfriend and wasn't stolen.

Nevertheless, the deputies approached the vehicle as Crooms pulled into the driveway of Pierce to choose him up. Surveillance footage from the house shows Pierce get into the vehicle as Green walked her nephew dead set aid him if he was harassed by the deputies. Moments later they might both be dead.

For some reason, Crooms didn't stop the vehicle when deputies approached, despite repeated calls by Santiago-Miranda. this might be a fatal mistake.

“Stop the vehicle!” Deputy Santiago-Miranda yells at the car.

“Please, don’t shoot! Please, don’t shoot! My baby’s therein car!” Green recalled screaming. Deputy Santiago-Miranda then fired, although the car with the teenagers inside was avoidance from him, Pierce’s great-aunt and fiduciary said.

“My baby left home at 10:31, and at 10:33 he was dead,” Green said. “That man just kept shooting.”

Benjamin Crump, a lawyer for the victims’ families, said on Twitter that the teenagers were “terrified” and trying to drive around the deputies.

“Out of harm’s way, the deputy moved closer to induce a stronger shot,” and fired with the “intent to kill,” and “then kept firing because the car has gone by,” Mr. Crump wrote.

Eric Smith, Mr. Crooms’s father, said the family hoped the deputies would be prosecuted, in keeping with the NY Times.

“It’s obvious what we’re searching for — justice,” Smith said. “We’re searching for answers. There’s nothing justifiable about what the Brevard County sheriffs did.”

However, it's unlikely that this may happen because the department is already conducting control and has put out a narrative alluding to the notion that the deputy was justified in dumping 7 rounds into the vehicle because it slowly rolled in his general direction.

On Facebook, with the discharge of the dashcam video, Brevard County Sheriff, Wayne Ivey released the subsequent statement with the department’s “official” version of events.

What we all know to this point is that on Friday morning two of our Deputies were attempting to conduct a follow-up investigation on what they believed was a possible stolen car that had only {in the near past} fled from another Deputy in the Cocoa area.

The vehicle in question was first observed at Clearlake and Dixon, then moments later within the area of Ivy St. in Cocoa at which era the 2 Deputies observed it making a left-hand turn onto Stetson and immediately into the driveway of a close-by residence.

At this time the Deputies exited their vehicles in an endeavor to form contact with the occupants, however, as you'll see within the attached in-car camera video, the motive force of the vehicle backed out of the driveway and turned toward the Deputies and their vehicles that were parked within the roadway.

As you'll clearly hear and see on the recording, Deputy Santiago–Miranda gives repeated verbal commands, 7 to be exact, for the motive force of the vehicle to prevent the car, however, the driving force of the vehicle, 16-year-old Angelo Crooms turns and accelerates the vehicle towards Deputy Santiago-Miranda who has then forced to fireside his service weapon in an effort to prevent the deadly threat of the car from crashing into him.

Please pay close attention to the video, as you'll be able to not only hear the repeated verbal commands from the Deputies for the driving force of the vehicle to prevent, but you'll actually see the tires of the vehicle turn sharply because the car accelerates towards Deputy Santiago-Miranda who is now in immediate danger of being struck by the vehicle.

In addition to the video evidence that shows our Deputy in harm's way, an occupant from inside the vehicle has provided an intensive statement to FDLE that confirms the occupants of the vehicle heard the verbal commands of the Deputy which Crooms still turned the vehicle and accelerated.

While there are many other forthcoming details and evidence concerning this tragic incident, as the recovery of two firearms from the vehicle, the case is currently a vigorous and ongoing investigation being conducted by the Florida Department of enforcement who anticipates that the investigative findings are going to be presented to the State Attorney’s Office for review within the subsequent 60-90 days.

In closing, I ask that you just keep the family of the 2 young men in your thoughts and prayers and also our Deputies, as an occasion of this magnitude impacts everyone, including our entire community!!

As you watch the video below, ask yourself if this deputy — rather than taking a shooting stance and dumping rounds into two kids — could have simply stepped out of the way. we predict he could have.