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Marion County Teenager Arrested After Shooting Two Men

A Marion County teenager was arrested Thursday in connection with last week’s shooting of two 18-year-old men.

On Friday, Oct. 10, Ocala police responded to a shooting. Officers found Colby Martinez with a gunshot wound to the stomach and Robert O’Connall with a wound to his inner thigh, according to an affidavit released by the Ocala Police Department.

Both men were transported to Ocala Regional Medical Center where Martinez underwent emergency surgery and O’Connall was treated and released.

Sergeant Angie Scroble, Ocala Police Department Public Information Officer, said police waited to hear Martinez's status before deciding how severe the charges would be for the 16-year-old teen.

“He was in surgery at the time we were investigating this, so we didn’t know what his condition was going to be,” Scroble said. “He’s stable now, so the charges that were made are misdemeanor charges.”

The 16-year-old was charged with two misdemeanors, culpable negligence and possession of a firearm by a juvenile, according to a report from the Ocala Police Department.

The teen was sitting on a bed playing with a gun, with Martinez and O’Connall also present in the room, according to the affidavit. He was dry firing the weapon without the gun’s magazine attached. The teen then inserted the magazine but "advised" to officers that he believed there wasn’t a round chambered.

According to O’Connall, he was getting up to walk out of the room when the teen accidentally discharged the weapon, hitting both men.

The teen told officers he stole the gun from a youth four days prior to the shooting,  but Scroble said it was first stolen during a 2013 burglary.

 

Paige is a reporter for WUFT News who may be contacted by calling 352-392-6397 or emailing news @wuft.org
James is a reporter who can be contacted by calling 352-392-6397 or emailing news@wuft.org.