ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — An Orange County teenager faced a judge Tuesday on charges of shooting two siblings and injuring a third child.
Deputies said Jerell Melendez, 15, was showing off a gun when it went off. Bullets hit two children, ages 13 and 7, and a 9-year-old was injured by the gun powder blast. The children have non-life-threatening injuries.
Melendez's mother and brother were in court with him as a judge ordered Melendez to be held in juvenile detention until his trial.
Melendez is facing several counts of aggravated assault and possession of a firearm.
Deputies said Melendez fired a second shot as the victims' older brother tried to wrestle the gun away.
Melendez's mother, Norma Jenkins, spoke with Channel 9.
"I would like to say sorry to the family, whatever happened to them," said Jenkins.
"Do you know how he got the gun?" reporter Steve Barret asked.
"No," said Jenkins.
"I'm sorry. We're sorry. I know he didn't really mean it. I don't know what happened, because I was at work, and we don't even do that in our house," said Joseph Enriques, Melendez's brother.
Jenkins said she still has not been able to talk to her son about what happened.
A trial date has been set for mid-November.