Ben Crump working with families of teens killed in deputy-involved shooting

LAKE MARY, Fla. - Famous civil rights attorney Ben Crump is working with the families of two teens killed during a deputy-involved shooting in Cocoa.

The shooting happened on Friday around 10:30 a.m. in the area of Stetson Drive and Ivy Drive in Cocoa.

The Sheriff’s Office has released few details about what led up to the incident. In a release, officials stated:

“Deputies were investigating an earlier incident in which a vehicle fled from an attempted traffic stop at U.S.1 and State Road 528. A vehicle was observed in the area of Stetson Drive and Ivy Drive in Cocoa, where deputies attempted to make contact with the occupants. At that time a deputy-involved shooting incident occurred. Two males were transported from the scene to local hospitals where they were later pronounced deceased. The decedents are identified as 18-year-old Sincere Pierce and 16-year-old Anthony Crooms, both of Cocoa. The deputy involved in the incident is not being identified at this time.”

The deputy has been placed on paid Administrative Leave pending the outcome of a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation.

The family of Sincere Pierce said there is a video recording of the incident. Fox 35 requested any video recordings from the Sheriff’s Office from the incident. BCSO does not require its deputies to wear body-worn cameras.

Attorney Ben Crump issued the following statement:

“These parents are heartbroken, as any parent would be. They deserve full transparency and speedy answers about who is responsible for the deaths and the circumstances surrounding their shootings. For two young Black teens just beginning their lives to be ended is a tragedy and a terrible loss to their families and to the community. We are demanding the details and all available bodycam footage immediately so that we have a clear sight line into what happened.”