A 15-year-old who was shot by a police sergeant in a confrontation following a pursuit and crash in northwest Miami-Dade is facing charges, officials said.
Family members and an attorney identified the suspect as Vito Corleone-Venisse, of Miami, who faces charges of aggravated assault of a police officer and improper exhibition of a firearm.
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Miami-Dade Police officials said the incident happened around 12:45 a.m. Jan. 16 in the area of Northwest 55th Street and Northwest 22nd Avenue, when detectives were patrolling as part of the ongoing Community Shield initiative.
Detectives attempted to conduct a traffic stop of a Dodge Challenger, but the teen driving the vehicle refused to stop. Shortly thereafter, the teen lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a fence.
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Officials said multiple people in the vehicle fled on foot in different directions and the police sergeant pursued the driver.
A confrontation ensued between the sergeant and the 15-year-old, who was armed, officials said.
The sergeant opened fire, hitting the teen, who was transported in critical condition to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.
The police sergeant, a 29-year veteran of the department, wasn't injured.
The teen is still in the hospital and is now partially paralyzed from being shot in the back, his attorney told NBC 6 in a previous interview.
"Which raises questions whether that shooting was justifiable," attorney Jarlens Princilis said Sunday.
The teen's firearm was recovered on the scene and an assault rifle was observed in plain sight inside the vehicle, police said. Police also recovered another handgun in the car.
According to investigators, a records check revealed that the teen had an open pick-up court order for possession of a firearm and occupied burglary.
The remaining occupants of the car were still at large.
"These individuals were driving around, one, a 15-year-old driving a car. Secondly, a 15-year-old armed with a handgun, an assault rifle inside of that vehicle, wanted for possession of firearms," Miami-Dade Police spokesman Alvaro Zabaleta said. "These are individuals that clearly are up to no good."
Princilis had his doubts about officers' version of the events.
"A half-truth is a whole lie," he said. "We question whether the officers even had a reasonable suspicion to conduct a reasonable traffic stop."
Princilis had no comment Friday night on the charges against the teen.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting.
