A 17-year-old was shot by a 16-year-old late Sunday night in an incident that has been linked to an armed robbery that occurred approximately an hour earlier, according to the Owensboro Police Department.
Officers responded shortly before midnight to the 1000 block of Venable Avenue, where they found a 17-year-old male suffering from a gunshot wound, according to OPD. He was transported to Owensboro Health Regional Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
At the scene, a 16-year-old male told officers he “had been attempting to make the firearm safe when he shot the other juvenile,” a release from OPD says.
Officials said that during the investigation, officers recognized that the two juveniles matched the description of suspects from a robbery reported just after 10:30 p.m. In that earlier incident, a patrol officer was flagged down in the 1600 block of West 12th Street by two individuals — one of them a juvenile — who said they had arranged a meetup via social media to sell personal items. During the exchange, the juvenile victim had his wallet containing identification and a suspected controlled substance stolen, according to OPD.
Officers later recovered evidence tying the two juveniles involved in the shooting to the robbery, including a firearm, the victim’s wallet, and identification, the release says.
The 16-year-old has been charged with first-degree robbery, first-degree assault, and two counts of possession of a handgun by a minor. He was transported to the Warren Regional Juvenile Detention Center. Police said detectives will follow up with the 17-year-old once he is released from medical care.
