Two Jacksonville teenagers have been arrested and charged in the death of an 18-year-old back in October.
On Friday night, 14-year-old Ryan Turner and 17-year-old Manning Kinney were arrested for a deadly shooting at Regency Park Shopping Center that resulted in the death of 18-year-old Laramie Bowen.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office believe the shooting started as a burglary attempt.
On Oct. 17, Bowen arrived at the Regency Park Shopping Center with two other people, with police saying the three of them were “in the process of a committing a robbery when Bowen sustained a gunshot wound and died at the scene.”
A JSO memo said Turner was arrested for second-degree murder, attempted armed robbery and evidence tampering, while Kinney is facing second-degree murder and attempted robbery charges.
This case represents the eighth killing that’s been reported on since July in which the suspects are 20 years old or younger.
It’s a trend that as of last year appeared to be going down.
Nationwide, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention reported that juvenile arrests for violent crimes have gone down by half over the last 15 years.
According to the FBI, more than a quarter of homicides last year were carried out by someone under the age of 22, and about 5% of offenders were under 18.
News4Jax crime and safety expert Ken Jefferson said while homicide cases with teenage suspects are less common, they’re prosecuted the same.
“The case is really no different from that of an adult,” Jefferson said. “When there’s murder involving you’ve got one person killing another person is treated the same way. You know, the circumstances may be a little different. But the way his handle way goes to the court is no different than anything else.”
Jefferson said fixing the problem of youth violent crime starts at home.
“Let’s put the blame where it belongs, to the households of these individuals where they’re coming from,” Jefferson said. “The parents who are responsible for raising their children. A lot of this behavior stems from not being the type of parents who should be at home.”
Second-degree murder is obviously the highest level felony and could carry a life sentence if convicted.