LEHIGH ACRES. Fla. – Numerous law enforcement units responded to the 1200 block of Damen Street East in Lehigh Acres on Wednesday, investigating what they say was an accidental shooting.
Our crews on scene saw a teen boy being placed in handcuffs and put in the back of a deputy car. We also saw someone being taken off in an ambulance.
It's wasn’t the wake-up call nearby residents wanted to hear, around 8 AM.
"That's scary, that's not good. It's unusual for this neighborhood," said Keith Butler.
As detectives gathered evidence, not knowing what happened there sent some neighbors into a panic.
"Just shocked, just in awe that this happened in my neighborhood, you know, right next door," said one neighbor.
One person saw teens just hours before the incident. "I left this morning, about 6:00, 6:05 a.m…around that time, and I saw the neighbors sitting outside."
The investigation is ongoing, but according to the Lee County Sheriff's Office, the shooting was accidental.
That helps calm the nerves of some residents. "Yeah, it does. I feel bad for the kid that got shot, but it does soothe our nerves a little bit to know it wasn't a drive-by shooting," said Butler.
Neighbors say the people involved were high school students, and they're still trying to figure out why they were handling a gun in the first place. "I'm a gun owner, and I lock my guns up. So I think everybody should lock their guns up," says Butler.
