Local

Teen charged as adult in basketball court shooting

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando teenager accused of shooting his friend on the basketball court, paralyzing him, is now being charged as an adult.

The adult charges against Takim Neal, 17, are mostly weapons charges, and that's only because most eyewitnesses agreed that the shooting that paralyzed Mario Whitehead from the waist down last month was an accident.

Neal is being charged as an adult for two different violent crimes.

A new arrest report obtained by Channel 9 Eyewitness News  accuses him of breaking a robbery victim's jaw in a violent robbery. The report also says he's a gang member.

His older brother, Tray Alston, defended him.

"The report says he's a gang member," WFTV reporter Kathi Belich said to Alston.

"No, he's not a gang member. He has family. Everybody cares about him. He's not like that. He's not a gang member. That's my brother," said Alston.

WFTV also obtained a new police report from the shooting of Whitehead on Martin Luther King Day.

The report said that three children at the park saw the shooting happen. One of those children was Whitehead's young brother.

He told Belich that Whitehead is still paralyzed and in rehab.

According to the report, all three of the children identified Neal as the one with the gun.

Police said when they talked to Neal about the shooting he denied shooting anyone, and denied he ever had a gun.

As a 17-year-old, he cannot legally have one.

Belich asked Alston if the family is worried that as an adult Neal will face more serious consequences if he's convicted.

"Well, I'm not his father, so I can't I can't make him do anything," said Alston.

Police said they are still investigating the shooting at the basketball court, and the robbery in which the victim's jaw was broken.

Police said there were three others with Neal when the man was beaten and robbed.