GREENACRES, Fla. — The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said Thursday it's working closely with school district police to catch the gunman who shot a 17-year-old boy outside a Greenacres medical facility.
The sheriff's office said the shooting happened shortly after 3 p.m. Wednesday in the parking lot of Dedicated Senior Medical Center, located at 4998 10th Avenue North, right across the street from John I. Leonard High School.
The 17-year-old boy was shot in the abdomen and taken to a local hospital, where he's in "stable but critical" condition Thursday, according to a sheriff's office spokeswoman.
WPTV asked both the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office and School District of Palm Beach County if the victim is a student at John I. Leonard High School or if any students were involved in the incident.
"This is a question for school police, however, it is believed this occurred right after school, from the nearby school," a PBSO spokeswoman said in an email to WPTV, adding that the agency is "working closely with PBC School Police."
The school district said it's "unable to confirm the details of the incident."
The sheriff's office released a surveillance photo Wednesday, showing a person in a light-colored hooded sweatshirt pointing a gun at the victim, who was standing just feet away.
How many people do you see in this picture ?
— PBSO (@PBCountySheriff) April 14, 2022
That’s how many people witnessed the shooting that took place yesterday in Greenacres. The victim deserves justice. All we need is a name. You can remain anonymous and receive a $3,000 reward for doing the right thing. #JusticeInPBC https://t.co/wQ02T6Tkag pic.twitter.com/idKCfn1GNO
The sheriff's office said there were "multiple witnesses present during the shooting" and is asking anyone with information to call Det. Joe Piatchek at 561-308-9568, or Crime Stoppers of Palm Beach County at 1-800-458-TIPS.
Law enforcement is offering a $3,000 reward in the case.
The name of the 17-year-old victim has not been released.
Dr. Beatrice Deshommes and Dr. Gurpreet Sareen are grateful for being in the right place at the right time.
"There was a kid who was lying on the ground with blood all over around it. There was a lot of blood on the floor so we started helping the kid," said Sareen, a primary care physician at Dedicated Senior Medical Center.
Employees inside the medical facility heard the gunfire Wednesday and immediately came out to help.
"We applied pressure to his sites where he was injured. We monitored him while he was on the ground, praying that he would not become unconscious," Deshommes said.
"He was alive. He was talking to us. I had my stethoscope. We hear that he was breathing," Sareen said.
The doctors said the teen suffered injuries to his stomach and his hand. They were able to keep him stable until first responders arrived. The gunshot victim was not forthcoming to doctors on the scene.
"He was saying that I can’t breathe. I'm not feeling good. I tried to ask him what happen. He tells us everything is OK. He doesn’t tell us what happened," Sareen said.
Doctors said the teen is expected to recover from his injuries
"My main thing to help people who needed immediate attention. Thank God we were there to help him out," Sareen said.
