PINE HILLS, Fla. — Two gangs are at war in Pine Hills and innocent people are getting caught in the middle, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
Three children have been shot this week and two of them, a 14-year-old and a 3-year-old, died.
Investigators said Daquane Felix Jr., 3, died in a targeted retaliation drive-by shooting.
Orange County deputies said they believe they know which gangs are involved in the shootings and are offering a $5,000 reward for tips in the case.
Please help us find the killer or killers of 3-year-old Daquane Felix Jr., tragically struck by gunfire from a drive-by shooting on 9/22. Someone knows who is responsible for little Daquane’s death. Help us take them off the streets. Call @CrimelineFL. You can remain anonymous. pic.twitter.com/hM5vXxAvUY
— Orange County Sheriff's Office (@OrangeCoSheriff) September 24, 2020
They said the 438 gang has been feuding with the Army gang. It started on social media, then spilled out onto the streets.
Since July, investigators have counted at least 10 shootings between the two gangs.
“My grandbaby was laying there with a bullet hole in his head. They ain’t care,” said Veronica Felix, Daquane’s grandmother.
Daquane wasn’t the only child caught in the crossfire.
Read: ‘It’s too much’: 3-year-old killed in Pine Hills shooting
Just one day before he was killed, 14-year-old Joshua Atkinson was killed and a 15-year-old was critically injured on Glendale Road.
Atkinson was not a gang member.
“They don’t think twice about who they kill,” said Sheriff John Mina.
So what do we know about the 438 and Army gangs?
“They have a pretty decent size membership. They have associates,” said Sgt. Joe Covelli of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
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Covelli said members range in age from 14 years old to their early 20s.
The Sheriff’s Office said most of the guns the gangs have are stolen.
Mina is pleading with the community to speak up and turn in those responsible for the shootings.
GoFundMe accounts have been set up for Daquane’s family. Click here or click here to donate.
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