COLUMBUS, Ohio — Investigators believe the shooting Thursday afternoon between two juveniles was accidental. One of the juveniles was described by his mother as a repeated car thief.
The shooting happened just before 2 p.m. on East 17th. Avenue.
Sgt. Joe Albert with the Columbus Division of Police said the juveniles were sitting inside of a stolen vehicle. One of them had a gunshot wound in their lower torso and the other had a gunshot wound in the left hand.
Tiffany Hammons said her 17-year-old son was one of the victims involved. Earlier this week, 10TV spoke with her about her concerns that not enough is being done to stop her son from continuously stealing and crashing vehicles to hold him accountable.
"Every alert I just think its him, every time something goes off, the Neighbors app, I just pray it ain't him. Every time its breaking news... its the most stress any parent could ever have and it's scary,” Hammons said.
Just two days after Hammons said those words, she found herself in that exact situation… finding out her son had been involved in a shooting.
"This ain't no game, this is real life. Real problems and real situations follow behind this,” Hammons said.
Hammons said there have been several incidents involving her son stealing cars in just the last month. She said she’s doing everything she can as a parent.
"I can't hold him hostage. I got work, he's supposed to be in school, he hasn't been in school since school started,” Hammons said.
It’s still unclear which juvenile accidentally fired the gun, but Hammons said she worries about the harm her son could cause himself and others if this behavior continues.
"He doesn't even know how to drive, and that's one of my biggest fears like the accident he was just recently in when he crashed the car. He was going 60 and crashed into a pole,” Hammons said.
On top of not being held in custody, Hammons said nothing is being done when her son misses court dates either. She said her son missed a hearing earlier Tuesday morning.
"He did not show, his father went and no answers... They told us we didn't even have to come to the court date. So yeah, they're really not holding these kids accountable,” Hammons said.
Both juveniles are being charged with receiving stolen property. Sgt. Albert said additional charges could be filed as the investigation continues.