ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The family of 16-year-old David Acker said they are going to continue to fight for harsher punishment for a girl who deputies said shot and killed her friend while playing with a firearm.
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“I want a murder charge on this girl. I’m not going to stop. I’m not going to be happy until action is taken,” said Migdalia Pagan, David Acker’s grandmother.
Wednesday, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office arrested a 16-year-old who they said pulled the trigger that killed David Acker.
Read: Deputies charge girlfriend of 16-year-old boy shot to death in Orange County
Investigators said she is now at the Juvenile Assessment Center and charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child after the State’s Attorney’s office consulted with investigators to determine her criminal charges.
However, the family of the victim told WFTV tonight that the punishment was not adequate for the crime.
“We will never get a chance to watch our son walk down the stage for graduation. We will never get to see him get married and give us grandkids, so we’re just asking for the maximum punishment,” said Veronica Acker, mother of David Acker.
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Investigators said David was shot and killed in July around 1 a.m. after he and two other friends, including the suspect, were at her home playing with the firearm on Easton Street in Orlando.
Investigators said David brought the gun to her home, and the three were posing with it and pointing it at each other. While playing with the firearm, the suspect pointed it at Acker and pulled the trigger.
“She pointed a gun at someone’s face and pulled the trigger. That’s not fun, that’s not an accident, it’s not a game, it’s a life. A life that we’ll never be able to hold, to hug, and love anymore,” said Pagan.
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David was taken to the hospital, where he later died.
Just 24 hours after, the suspect was taken to the Juvenile Assessment Center, his family described Acker as the glue that held the family together, a teenager who was good at playing basketball and swimming.
The family said they plan to set up meetings with the State Attorney’s office on the charges. They also said they plan to be at every court date until they get the justice David deserves.
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