The Broward Sheriff’s Office reported Tuesday night that a 14-year-old child had been detained concerning the killing of Rickey Ferguson Jr., a 16-year-old student at Deerfield Beach High School.
On December 28 at 5 o’clock, Ferguson Jr., a sophomore football player for the school, was shot in Westside Park in Deerfield Beach’s 400 block of Southwest Second Street.
Tuesday afternoon, Ferguson Jr.’s mother posted on Facebook to share the news of her son’s passing. She included a picture of her son sporting the number 12 on a football uniform and saying, “My son has passed on and got his wings.”
Assistant Principal Chelsie Deese tweeted Tuesday night, “My heart bleeds for the Ferguson family, our students, staff, and community during this tough time.”
‘We just want justice.’
ICYMI tonight on @nbc6: Rickey Ferguson remains in the hospital after he was shot in the head in #DeerfieldBeach. His family is pleading for the shooter to come forward. I spoke with the teen’s aunt. Full story: https://t.co/PgqLbbeyDB pic.twitter.com/6HmOFR3e0Q
— Niko Clemmons (@NBCNiko) December 31, 2022
According to Broward Sheriff’s Office Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Michael Kane, the adolescent was rushed to Broward Health North in “very grave” condition.
The Deerfield Beach youngster, 14, was apprehended by detectives on Friday, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Due to his age, The Sun Sentinel is not revealing the boy’s identity.
He was charged with one count of attempted second-degree murder as of Tuesday night. The Sheriff’s Office has not verified Ferguson Jr.’s passing.
The Sheriff’s Office withheld information regarding the detectives’ method of identifying the youngster as the alleged gunman.
Ferguson Jr. was a well-known student on the football field, and in the classroom, Deerfield Beach High School Football head coach Tramain Hall told the Sun Sentinel last week.
“Rickey, he was wonderfully turning around… And I just believe this tragedy, man; it hits the community as well as our players and our team,” Hall added.
Only a few days after Ferguson Jr. was shot, a second adolescent was wounded by gunfire in Fort Lauderdale. A 15-year-old boy was shot on Monday and passed away.
For the first time in 2020, gun violence surpassed auto accidents as the most significant cause of death for children and youth in the United States. According to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 3,000 persons in Florida died from a gunshot injury in 2020.
A CDC study dated May 2022 states that the national firearm homicide rate for all age groups increased by 35% between 2019 and 2020.
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