Little information on deadly deputy-involved shooting involving two teens

J.D. Gallop
Florida Today

The parents of a 16-year-old and an 18-year-old shot and killed Friday along a Cocoa residential road by at least one Brevard County sheriff’s deputy, said Sunday that law enforcement authorities have yet to talk with them or explain what happened. 

Left to right is Quasheda Pierce, mother of Sincere Pierce, Cynthia Byrd-Green, Sincere's aunt, and Tasha Strachan, mother of A.J. Crooms. Sincere Pierce and A. J. Crooms were killed in a deputy-involved shooting.

Two days after the Friday afternoon shooting, the mothers of the teens gathered with other family members and friends to talk with community leaders, hold a vigil and share videos of the shooting’s aftermath. 

“We need justice. We want the names of the deputies and their badge numbers. There’s going to be some justice for A.J. and Sincere,” said Quasheda Pierce, who identified her 18-year-old son Sincere as of one of the teens killed. The mother of A.J. Crooms, the other teen, said investigators have told her, ‘nothing.’  

More:2 teens dead after shooting involving Brevard sheriff's deputy, law enforcement officials say

“A friend of the family told me he was shot," Tasha Strachan said, looking over pictures of her son on her cellphone. "The doctor told me he died. I just feel terrible. My son was sweet and loving. Anybody who knew him loved him.” 

The shooting happened at about 10 a.m. Friday along Stetson Drive. It was not immediately clear why Brevard County Sheriff's Office was in the neighborhood, which is within Cocoa city limits but close to unincorporated areas of Brevard County, patrolled by sheriff's deputies. 

The agency did not respond to a request for a statement on the shooting or the status of the officers involved. Investigators have not disclosed whether weapons were involved or recovered. 

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement had been called in to investigate.

“We’re investigating the officer’s use of force,” said Gretl Plessinger, spokesperson for FDLE. “We’re still conducting interviews and we’ll be reviewing any evidence that we have. We are also building a timeline of events, and that will help us know what happened.” 

The case will then be turned over to the State Attorney's Office for a ruling on whether the use of force against the two teens in the car was justifiable. 

In Cocoa, near the scene of the deputy-involved shooting that left two teens dead. At left, Randy Foster, incoming Palm Bay City Council member, talks with Quasheda Pierce, mother of Sincere Pierce, one of the teens killed. Others pictured include family friend LaJoyce Jones, Cynthia Byrd-Green, Sincere's aunt, and Tasha Strachan, mother of A.J. Crooms, the other teen killed. The mothers of  Sincere Pierce,and A.J. Crooms, are seeking answers.

Witnesses said the deputies may have been searching for a stolen car that matched the description of the vehicle Pierce and A.J. Crooms were in. 

Cynthia Byrd Green, who said she raised Pierce since he was an infant, said she saw the deputies on the street and saw the vehicle with Pierce.

“I saw the whole thing from beginning to end. I pleaded with that deputy, ‘please don’t shoot my son,’” Green said, breaking down into tears as she described the scene. "I saw my son slump and I just knew...I knew he was dead." 

By Sunday, relatives friends, elected officials and community activists were still awaiting any information from the agencies involved. 

"We have to know what happened to them. We need a press conference on their lives just like if someone shot an officer. These were two young men. They are gone from their families forever, regardless," said Cocoa City Councilmember Alex Goins on Sunday. 

"I understand about investigations but at the same time, you have to understand this is why the community doesn't trust you. We need to know what happened to our babies," Goins said.