Couple requests to adopt 14-year-old girl accused of shooting at deputies during dramatic standoff, says the foster system failed her



A Florida couple is requesting to adopt a 14-year-old girl who is accused of shooting at deputies during an early June, 2021 standoff, saying the state's foster system failed the girl.

What's a brief history here?

Nicole Jackson, 14, and 12-year-old Travis O'Brien, are accused of breaking out of their foster group home and embarking on a crime spree which included breaking and entering and the attempted murder of a law enforcement official.

As TheBlaze previously reported, Jackson is being charged as an adult following the incident in which she and O'Brien reportedly shot at Volusia County Sheriff's deputies.

She faces felony charges that include attempted murder of a police officer.

What's happening now?

According to a report from WESH-TV, couple Shauna and Dan Willis reached out to the teen following her arrest, and have been communicating with her while she's been in jail.

“We just have good intentions in mind for her," Shauna told the station. "So, we pray for her every day, and if we can give her a family, we’d be willing to do that."

Dan said that she'd hate to see the girl go back into the foster system if acquitted on the charges.

“I assume she would go back in the foster system. We would prefer that if adopting her would keep her out of that system, then we would do that,” Dan Willis said.

According to the station, a public defender is representing Jackson in the case, which is set for a February case management hearing.

O'Brien — who is being charged as a minor — remains in juvenile detention.

What else?

When speaking about the June incident, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said that the two escaped their group home and broke into an unoccupied home where they discovered a cache of weaponry.

When police tracked Jackson and O'Brien to the home, they were faced with guns and death threats.

"Their conversation was they were going to kill my sergeant. They were coming out to kill cops. They were coming out to kill deputies, that's the conversation," Chitwood said at the time.

Officers were able to negotiate the minors' surrender after two hours, but not before the two reportedly destroyed much of the homeowner's property while firing on the law enforcement officials.

"This went on for hours," Chitwood recalled. "This wasn't a split-second, we exchange gunfire. We were out here from 7:30 to 9 o'clock until we returned fire."

Luckily, no deputies were killed during the standoff.

Deputies' bullets struck Jackson in the abdomen and arm, but the boy remained uninjured.

She was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment following the siege.

The teen ultimately recovered from her injuries and was released into police custody.

"My deputies showed more restraint than I'm showing right now because I'm furious that we could be burying somebody tonight," Chitwood said. "They took multiple, multiple rounds ... And I know for a fact one banana clip was empty from the AK-47. I know from the radio transmissions that a 12-year-old opened fire on us. I know that the 14-year-old opened fire on us with a shotgun, and then walked out and threatened one of my sergeants and told him she was going to kill him. And we didn't return fire. But after she came out of the garage, hey. There was nothing left that we could do. We had to do what we had to do."

Anything else to know?

Jackson in September penned an apology letter for her actions.

A portion of the letter read, "I was sacred for life. I did not known what I was thinking! Oh God, I gotten myself into a lot! Well I hope you forgive me and what I did, if you don't I understand why you can't forgive a person that quick. But I wish the best for you!"

Two dead, up to 25 wounded in shooting at concert in South Florida



Two people were killed and up to 25 people were injured in a shooting in South Florida. The incident happened at a concert in northwest Miami-Dade County.

A white Nissan Pathfinder drove up to the El Mula Banquet Hall in the Country Club Shopping Center in Hialeah between 12 a.m. and 1 a.m., according to Miami-Dade police director Alfredo Ramirez III. Three assailants reportedly got out of the SUV and indiscriminately opened fire with rifles and handguns at the crowd outside the banquet hall, which had been rented out for a concert.

Two people were shot dead at the scene, and between 20-25 people were wounded. The gunshot victims were transported to local hospitals, and one person is in critical condition.

🚨 BREAKING NEWS: mass shooting reported in Northwest Miami Dade - Hialeah/Miami Lakes area. 7630 Nw 186st** 16 sho… https://t.co/okwus6Gg2u

— Andrew Perez (@AndrewPerezWPLG) 1622363922.0


#BREAKING — 20-25 people shot, 2 confirmed dead in NW Miami Dade. This happening at El Mula Banquet Hall in the Cou… https://t.co/Q0uw825Ozb

— Parker Branton (@ParkerBranton) 1622364503.0


Alex Lanires, who works in the shopping center, said the crowd there is "rowdy" and there have been fights "every other weekend."

"I guess it was a matter of time before something really bad happened, and I guess today was that time," Lanires told WPLG-TV reporter Parker Branton.

Alex Lanires works in the shopping center — he says it was a matter of time before something happened at this banqu… https://t.co/YNU6R3QkbE

— Parker Branton (@ParkerBranton) 1622366337.0

Authorities believe the shooting was targeted.

"I am at the scene of another targeted and cowardly act of gun violence, where over 20 victims were shot and 2 have sadly died," Ramirez tweeted on Sunday. "These are cold blooded murderers that shot indiscriminately into a crowd and we will seek justice. My deepest condolences to the family of the victims."

I am at the scene of another targeted and cowardly act of gun violence, where over 20 victims were shot and 2 have… https://t.co/BXeg5luuCY

— Alfredo "Freddy" Ramirez III (@MDPD_Director) 1622366928.0

No arrests were immediately announced.

The police are asking for the public's help in bringing the shooters to justice. Anyone with information is asked to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.

"It is very difficult to stop a small amount of individuals who want to go out there and commit murder, and it takes all of us to stop this," Ramirez told the Miami Herald. "We really have to put the work in this summer to keep our children and community safe."

2 Dead, Over 20 Injured In NW Miami-Dade Mass Shooting www.youtube.com