Teen shot during drug deal; 16-year-old charged with attempted murder: MCSO

PARRISH, Fla. - The Manatee County Sheriff's Office is investigating a shooting that left a 17-year-old injured and a 16-year-old charged with attempted murder.

The backstory:

Investigators say around 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, a 17-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl drove to the pool in the Summerwoods subdivision in Parrish for a drug deal.

Detectives say while they were in their vehicle, they were approached by a boy and a girl. Officials say the boy shot the 17-year-old driver in the arm.

The suspects took off while the victim and his companion drove away from the scene and later flagged down a deputy for help.

The wounded boy was airlifted to a Tampa hospital in critical condition.

Other deputies began investigating the scene where the shooting happened and obtained surveillance video.

A perimeter was established and a K9 unit was used to track the suspects.

Dig deeper:

Multiple residents called in to report two teenagers running through the neighborhood. One resident told deputies that a person fitting the description was behind their house in the wooded area and had been seen throwing a backpack into the woods.

Deputies found the backpack and found a handgun and clothing that matched the suspects' initial outfits.

K9's tracked the suspects to a nearby home. The shooting suspect, later identified as 16-year-old Syncere Watkins, was found inside the house with a 15-year-old girl.

After several minutes, they surrendered to deputies and were taken into custody.

Watkins has been charged with attempted murder and was taken to the Manatee Juvenile Booking Facility.

What's next:

The shooting victim underwent surgery and is expected to make a full recovery.

The investigation is ongoing.

The Source: Information for this story was provided by the Manatee County Sheriff's Office.

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