16-year-old suspect in Florida bar shooting that injured Texans wide receiver to be charged as adult
By Rebekah Riess and Emma Tucker, CNN
(CNN) — The 16-year-old suspect accused of opening fire at a club in Florida last month, injuring 10 people including NFL Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell, is being charged as an adult in the shooting, officials said.
Dell, who sustained a minor wound, was caught in the middle of the shooting in Sanford and had no connection to the gunman, Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma said at a news conference Monday afternoon. Sanford is about 20 miles north of Orlando.
A judge moved the suspect, Christopher Bouie Jr., from juvenile to adult circuit court on Monday, according to a news release from the Office of the State Attorney for the 18th Judicial Circuit.
Bouie is charged with five counts of attempted second-degree murder while discharging a firearm and one count of possession of a firearm by a minor in connection with the shooting, court records show.
Lemma said nine of the 10 people who were shot have been released from the hospital with minor wounds. The last victim should be released soon, he said.
Investigators believe the juvenile pulled out a 9mm handgun following a physical altercation and began firing, according to the sheriff. The search continues for a second person who may have fired in self-defense, Lemma said.
“So what we have is two people engaged in gunfire on the left and right side of the physical altercation that is going on,” he said.
The state attorney said Tuesday an investigation into additional shots fired by another patron of the club is “active and ongoing.”
Bouie was transferred to the Seminole County Jail and will be held without bond, the release said.
His first appearance in Seminole County Court is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, according to court records. CNN has reached out to Bouie’s attorney for comment.
Lemma said the actions of a security guard who tackled the suspect to the ground and turned him in to police “took a very dangerous situation and made it less significant than what the potential could have been.”
About 200 people were at the event, including Dell, who was invited by promoters. It was being held at Cabana Live, which is open to the public as a restaurant and bar. The venue also is leased out for private events and parties, the sheriff said. Promoters had 10 armed security members on site.
The sheriff said he does not know how the suspect made it into the party, and the investigation is ongoing. He added the gun recovered was legally purchased in Miami in 2018, but does not know how the teen allegedly obtained it.
CNN’s Amy Simonson and Paradise Afshar contributed to this report.
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