VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – Two 17-year-olds face charges after a 19-year-old man was shot in the face Thursday in Deltona, according to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded around 6:46 p.m. to the parking lot of High Sense Smoke Shop at 2820 Howland Boulevard, according to a news release.
Through witness interviews and multiple angles of video surveillance, detectives said they determined that the 19-year-old had been approaching a group of young men with a gun in his hand when the shooter — identified as 17-year-old Geiziel Vazquez — pulled his own handgun and shot the man in the face, the release states.
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Vazquez faces charges of possession of a firearm by a minor and carrying a concealed firearm, according to the sheriff’s office.
Marco Barillas, 17, identified as the shooting victim’s younger brother, faces charges of possession of a firearm by a minor, tampering with evidence and violation of probation, the sheriff’s office said.
Barillas, who investigators say was there when the shooting happened, is accused of picking up his brother’s gun and hiding it in a nearby wooded area, the release states.
The 19-year-old was taken to a hospital, where he was listed in critical condition at last check, the sheriff’s office said.
Deputies said the mom of one of the other group’s members involved, including Vazquez, turned the group in. She told deputies she saw the news earlier this week of another Deltona mom being arrested for covering up her son’s crimes after deputies say he jumped and stabbed another teenager.
In the first week since school has been out here for summer break, the sheriff’s office said seven teens have been sent to Volusia’s juvenile detention center for gun-related charges. That’s compared to one teen the first week of summer break last year and none in 2023.
“If you’re a juvenile or you’re a young adult and you pick up a firearm and shoot that firearm, there’s no rehabilitating you. You’re going to prison and ruining your entire life. Parents need to be proactive,” said VSO Chief Brian Henderson.
Henderson said they’re checking in on teens around town, and as of this week, have a team out doing curfew checks on juveniles already on probation.
“One, we want to see compliance, and two, in some cases, we uncover other crimes while we’re at the house,” he said.
The two brothers involved in this already had long criminal histories, News 6 was told.
An investigation is ongoing, and additional charges are possible, according to the release.
News 6 is naming the 17-year-olds due to the circumstances of the case.