Florida Teens Injured in Deadly Police Shooting No Longer Face Shoplifting Charges

Shoplifting charges against two teens who were shot by Florida deputies earlier this year have been dropped. In April, Osceola County deputies claimed they caught Michael Gomez, 18, and Joseph Lowe, 19, shoplifting Pokemon cards from a local Target, an arrest that ultimately resulted in police opening fire, killing the teens’ 20-year-old driver. The shooting stirred controversy, as the sheriff resisted publicizing information about the incident. ClickOrlando.com reported that a court notice about the dropped charges said that “this case is not suitable for prosecution.” One of the teens’ lawyers praised the decision in a statement, saying, “The pain and suffering that was caused by what we believe to be the illegal actions of the Osceola County Sheriff's Office needs to be our focus.”