Mother of Florida boy accused of football practice shooting now charged with felony

APOPKA, Fla. — A Florida woman whose 11-year-old is accused of shooting two teenagers during a practice in October was charged with a felony Thursday after authorities said she left a loaded gun in a worn and torn cardboard box in her car.

Sharelle Johnson, 33, had left the box unsecured and was easily opened, according to a news release from the prosecutor's office. Investigators say Johnson's son grabbed the gun from the car and shot two teenagers after an argument during practice.

She was charged with negligence by leaving a loaded firearm within reach of a child. A conviction carries a prison sentence of up to five years. An attorney representing the family did not immediately return a telephone message left at his office.

According to an Apopka Police Department report, the child had been chased and attacked by the shooting victims, with a witness telling investigators that one of the shooting victims punched him in the face.

Surveillance footage shows one of the victims chasing the 11-year-old before the shooting, police records show. Someone tried to break up the altercation, but the suspect grabbed the gun and ran toward the two teens, police wrote in the report.