Fort Pierce man accused of shooting 14-year-old says he didn't have 'beef with children'

FORT PIERCE, Fla. (CBS12) — A 37-year-old man is accused of shooting at a vehicle with multiple children inside, the bullet striking a 14-year-old boy.

On Friday afternoon, Sheriff Keith Pearson and Criminal Investigator Sgt. Tim Fulston with the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office (SLCSO) held a news briefing discussing the arrest of the suspect and the harrowing details of the shooting.

The sheriff's office said just after 4 p.m. on Thursday, deputies responded to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital to speak to a 14-year-old boy who was shot.

Deputies and detectives determined the shooting stemmed from a fight between two groups betweenN. 29th Street and Avenue G in Fort Pierce.

Originally, the victim left with his relatives in a vehicle, Sheriff Pearson said. However, the suspect followed suit. And once both vehicles were alongAvenue Q, the gunman fired one round from his sedan into the victim's vehicle, hitting the teenager in the back.

The sheriff's office said along with the young victim, there were other children in the vehicle who were put in danger.

See also: BODY CAM: Florida man arrested for 'brutal murder' of woman, 4-year-old girl: HCSO

As SLCSO investigators worked throughout the night, processing the crime scene and interviewing witnesses, Sgt. Fulston said detectives were able to identify the suspect as Levil Smith.

Sheriff Pearson said Smith was found later in the night at around 11 p.m. Deputy body camera footage shows Smith being placed in cuffs.

"Put your hands behind your back," the deputy said. "Behind your back. Don't move."

"What y'all going on?" asked Smith as his hands were being placed behind his back.

"You're a suspect in an investigation and now you're being detained," the SLCSO deputy said.

In the probable cause affidavit, Smith told detectives that he had nothing to do with the incident, constantly denying owning, shooting, and possessing a firearm. Smith also said he is a pillar in the community and would never hurt a child, stating he, "stays out of the streets and doesn't have beef with children."

However, Sheriff Pearson said Smith is a convicted felon and has multiple felony convictions for various offenses like aggravated battery with a firearm and carrying a concealed firearm.

Smith was booked into the St. Lucie County Jail for five counts of aggravated child abuse, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, and discharging a weapon from a vehicle. The five counts of aggravated child abuse are because Smith fired a gun into the vehicle with children inside, said Sheriff Pearson.

"The men and women of the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office worked tirelessly to bring justice to the victims in this case, holding Smith accountable for his actions, which will never be tolerated in St. Lucie County," said Sheriff Keith Pearson.