DEPUTIES SHOOT ARMED TEEN

Police Speculate That Break-In Was Related To Drugs

Leon County deputies shot and wounded an armed teenage boy Friday after he
broke into a house, fired a shot near deputies and tried to run away,
Sheriff's Office officials said.

Two deputies fired shots at Vernon Larkins, 17, who was struck once in the
back side of his hip after he burst out of a home on Silver Saddle Drive.
His injuries weren't life threatening.

"It appears that this is a drug-related incident," said Sgt. Chris Chase of
the Sheriff's Office.

The Sheriff's Office got a call shortly after 8 a.m. about a burglary in
the western Leon County neighborhood. Three deputies arrived, and one found
the teen leaving the back door of the house. No one was home.

The deputy didn't see a weapon in the boy's hand at the time. He ordered
him to surrender, but the boy ran back into the house. The deputy yelled
for his colleagues to use a Taser when the youth emerged from the front,
and at least one deputy armed himself with a stun gun.

When the boy started breaking out the front window, a deputy saw that he
was armed with a handgun, which turned out to be a .44-caliber Magnum. The
boy fired a shot while he was still in the house, although it was unknown
what he was firing at. The deputy put his Taser away and pulled out his
firearm, said Lt. Linda Butler, spokeswoman for the Sheriff's Office.

The boy jumped out the window, refused commands to surrender and started
running away, officials said. Two deputies fired at him. He took a few more
steps into an adjacent yard before telling deputies he surrendered. They
gave him first aid until paramedics arrived.

Larkins was taken to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital and later to the
infirmary at the Leon County Jail, where he was recovering.

He is facing adult charges of armed burglary, aggravated assault on an
officer, resisting arrest with violence, possession of a firearm during the
commission of a felony and possession of cocaine with intent to sell.

Sgt. Chase said deputies shot at the boy because he had already committed
armed burglary and had shown he was willing to fire his gun.

"They have an obligation to protect their lives or the lives of others,"
Chase said.

The Sheriff's Office is conducting an internal investigation. The State
Attorney's Office also is reviewing the incident, which is customary in
officer-involved shootings. The three deputies, whose names have not yet
been released, were placed on paid leave pending the outcome of the
investigations, which also is routine.

Deputies found the boy with multiple packages of cocaine that seemed ready
for sale, Chase said. Deputies also found a mask and gloves at the scene,
along with the handgun. They wouldn't elaborate on where the boy got the drugs.

The owner of the home could not be reached for comment Friday.

Deputies said he had no previous adult criminal charges; they were unaware
of any juvenile record. Juvenile records are not open to the public.

The boy was arrested in the yard of Victoria Burke. No one was at her house
at the time, but she said the incident was scary nevertheless. She came
home from work after hearing about it to find her yard cordoned off with
yellow police tape.

"I'm just glad my sister wasn't home or my children," she said. "I was
terrified."