INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — A 17-year-old former Sebastian River High School student opened a truck’s door to fight the driver before the passenger fatally shot the teen Friday night, Sheriff Eric Flowers said. At least two videos of the shooting were widely shared on Snapchat, deputies say.
Flowers said the shooting – with at least 100 other youth nearby – came after a statewide trend where teens record themselves fighting and post the footage on social media to get likes and shares.
“We’ve got kids out here losing their lives trying to go viral,” Flowers said during a Monday, Oct. 5 news conference at the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office. “They know if they videotape that fight and get the best angle, it will get likes and shares and their account will be popular.”
Flowers showed the short video clips during the news conference, which showed a boy opening the truck of the door and appear to reach inside before a loud ‘pop’ was heard.
The sheriff said it appears there will be a self-defense claim. Flowers said the sheriff’s office will submit a warrant for the shooting, but the state attorneys’ office will ultimately decide whether to file charges.
The name of the 17-year-old was not released.
Deputies spoke with the truck’s driver and passenger – both 18 – whose names also were not released. Neither occupant was seriously injured.
“The shooter (passenger) and driver have been very cooperative,” Flowers said. “They turned over the weapon and truck. They’ve been talking to our detectives all weekend.”
The passenger previously attended Vero Beach High School but withdrew to home education in Spring 2022, while the driver is a current senior at the campus, said Lt. Kevin Jaworski, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office.
The 17-year-old had recently withdrawn from Sebastian River High School to do home school.
“There have been no arrests on the case at this time,” Flowers said.
What happened
About 100 teens gathered Friday, Oct. 2 at Garcia’s Boat Ramp parking lot in the 3700 block of County Road 512, north of State Road 60 and west of Interstate 95 in unincorporated Indian River County. Some of the minors – ages 14-to-19 – were drinking and fighting, according to the sheriff.
Flowers said the meetup was ‘not a teen takeover’ but more of a party typically held in remote, rural areas.
“These (grove parties) have been going on for a long time in Indian River County and Okeechobee,” Flowers said. “But now, they’re adding guns and social media into the mix.”
Flowers said a group of youth, including the 17-year-old, surrounded the pickup truck. The teen had a history of fighting with the driver and passenger.
The sheriff said the teen opened the door and began punching the driver.
Then…gunfire.
“One shot is fired,” Flowers said. “That shot is what ultimately killed the 17-year-old.”
The teen was taken to Orlando Health Sebastian River Hospital, then flown to Health First’s Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne, where doctors pronounced him dead.
Deputies recovered the weapon and seized the pickup.
Dangerous Teen Meet-Ups
Flowers said the trend of teens recording themselves fighting is an issue public schools also dealt with.
“The schools have done a great job of curbing this,” Flowers said. The schools made it clear that students will get in trouble if they record themselves fighting, according to the sheriff.
“(The students) moved it from out of the schools to these remote locations,” Flowers said.
Flowers urged parents to ask their children about where they are going for meetups. The sheriff said the meetup locations are being shared on Snapchat, which has private, disappearing communication.
“It’s really difficult to (track the locations)” Flowers said. “Each time, they’re moving it to new locations. As we find more locations, we continue to patrol those. Our team is attempting to curb these as much as we possibly can.”
Flowers warned the ‘dangerous’ trend of teen meetups involving guns and alcohol will continue to happen.
“Any intel we can get in advance on where these are happening, we want to know it,” Flowers said. “Parents, you do not want your teens at these meetups. It’s not safe. There’s alcohol, guns and those to just don’t mix. And now add in the fire of social media…now we have a 17-year-old dead.”
The sheriff said parents should make sure they track their kids’ locations. If parents notice their children are in a remote location that should give them a clue.
“If they say they’re going to a friend’s house, make sure they’re actually going to the house,” Flowers said. “Make sure you know that location.”
Flowers said the investigation is far from over. The sheriff urged witnesses in Friday’s shooting to contact the sheriff’s office at 772-569-6700.
“If we are able to identify people involved in the meet up, from underage drinking to fighting…if they did something wrong, they will be held accountable,” Flowers said. “Tell your kids it’s better to come forward and let us know now what your involvement was than us having to identify you and come seek you for charges.”
Photos by Joshua Kodis
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- Garcia’s Boat Ramp
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- Garcia’s Boat Ramp
