SANFORD, Fla. – The state has determined that a 20-year-old man will not face charges in a shooting that left 10 injured at a Seminole County event venue in April.
NFL player Tank Dell and nine others were wounded when two people began fighting and a 16-year-old, who was not involved in the fight, opened fire, deputies said. The teen, Christopher Bouie Jr., was arrested shortly after the shooting on charges of attempted first-degree murder.
After the shooting, deputies said they were searching for a second person who also opened fire.
The sheriff’s office identified the man, but News 6 is not naming the 20-year-old because he was not arrested and the state will not file charges against him.
On Tuesday, the state attorney’s office issued the following statement:
“Our office carefully reviewed all of the investigative findings presented by the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office prior to reaching this decision. While legally unable to possess a concealed firearm based on his age, prosecutors weighed the actions that may have prevented further injury to himself or others during a mass shooting incident, against the criminal violation. Based on the totality of the evidence and no reasonable likelihood of prevailing at trial, prosecution was deemed not justified.”
Office of the State Attorney 18th Judicial Circuit
[WATCH BELOW: Surveillance video captures chaotic moments in Seminole shooting that injured 10]
Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma said that there were about 200 people at the party labeled as the “Nobody Leaves Sober Pool Party.”
A few days after the shooting, a lawsuit was filed against the venue where it happened.
The lawsuit claims that one of the victims, Rikita Davis, “experienced immediate bodily injury and resulting pain and suffering” from the shooting.
The suit lists Cabana Live of Sanford LLC, Marinas LLC, Off the Muscle Entertainment LLC, and two unidentified men — listed as John Doe 1 and John Doe 2 — as defendants.
Documents show Davis claims the defendants were negligent in securing the proper permits for the event — which the sheriff had previously said — and did not have appropriate security for the event.
Bouie Jr. was charged as an adult and faces five counts of attempted second-degree murder while discharging a firearm and one count of possession of a firearm by a minor.
No trial has been set in the case.
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