FORT PIERCE, Fla. — Fort Pierce police said Tuesday a 15-year-old boy is in critical condition in the hospital after he was shot during a fight over a gun.
The Fort Pierce Police Department said officers responded to 431 North 25th St., outside a Wings Hut restaurant, just before 8 p.m. Monday.
Police said the teen and another person were fighting over a gun, and during the fight, the weapon fired and the 15-year-old was shot.
The teen was taken to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital, where he's in critical condition.
The other person stayed at the scene and is cooperating with the investigation, according to April Lee, the public affairs manager for the Fort Pierce Police Department.
Lee added that this was an isolated incident, and there's no danger to the public.
Our WPTV News crew at the scene saw a red hatchback vehicle being towed away, along with multiple police cruisers outside the restaurant.
If you have any information that can help detectives, call Officer Nicholas Aton at 772-370-6800 or email at nanton@fppd.org. You can also call Treasure Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-800-273-8477.
Could a garden help reduce gun violence in Fort Pierce?
Some people see things as they are, but Larry Lee Jr. sees things as they could be.
"I think that the people in this community need to see something positive happen," Lee said.
Lee feels there's more to the Lincoln Park neighborhood than the crime we hear about, so he wants to create a space that will inspire youth.
"We call this the Village Keeper's Garden of Hope. It's not just a piece of property. It's going to be a beautiful botanical garden. It will have Black history throughout," Lee said.
The garden will be located at 25th Street and Avenue E.
It's just one block from the "Rice Hut" where Monday night's shooting occurred.
"We just need to help these kids find their talent," Lee said. "They're searching and until we as adults help them to find their way, you will continue to have what we had the other night with that shooting."
Lee plans to highlight historical Black figures throughout the garden. He hopes it'll help the area outgrow its image.
"I want people to ride through the Lincoln Park area and see something other than eye sores or be reminded of something bad happening on this street," Lee said. "We're hoping that the people of the neighborhood embrace this."
The garden is expected to be complete by January. Once it's done, it'll be donated to the Boys and Girls Club of St. Lucie County, giving kids a new learning opportunity.
