Nov. 15, 2022
A now 19-year-old was found guilty Monday afternoon for shooting a 17-year-old and an 18-year-old with a stolen gun.
Timothy Alphonso Scott, of Palatka, was 15 at the time he shot the two in a preplanned robbery. One of the victims was in a coma for days. When he awoke he was able to identify Scott. Prior to this shooting, Scott was arrested several times for gun-related violent crimes in the past including burglary and grand theft of a firearm.
Scott was part of a trend that saw gun violence by juveniles rise in Putnam and more specifically the greater Palatka area the last few years.
"We will continue to take a hard stance on juvenile offenders who commit violent felonies," Sheriff H.D. 'Gator' DeLoach said. "Those who want to act like adults and commit acts of violence on our community can expect that we will take action and our residents will take action as seen with the jury's recommendation. We want to thank State Attorney R.J. Larizza, Assistant State Attorney Cara Devlin and all of the staff at the Seventh Judicial Circuit State Attorney's Office for carrying these cases to fruition and getting justice for the victims and their families. To those juveniles committing crimes, take notice. Gun violence may be increasing in big cities, but we're not going to tolerate it in Putnam."
Judge McGillan presided over the case and will pronounce a sentence at a later date.