The 15-year-old accused in the FAMU homecoming shooting will be charged as an adult, State Attorney Jack Campbell told CNN on Monday. Anthony Rivers III made his first court appearance the same day, and a judge ordered him to stay in secure detention while his case moves forward.
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Rivers faces 11 counts of attempted second-degree murder and one count of possession of a firearm by a delinquent. Police say he opened fire after a fight near Perry Street, behind Bragg Memorial Stadium, on Saturday night following FAMU’s homecoming game. Twelve people were hurt, including six children. The youngest victim is 11.
Leon Circuit Judge Andrew Sheeran appointed the public defender’s office to represent Rivers. He also approved restrictions requested by prosecutors.
“You are not to have any contact directly or indirectly with any of the witnesses in this case,” Sheeran told Rivers.
Under the order, Rivers cannot contact any alleged victims or witnesses, either directly or through someone else. His calls from the detention center will be monitored and logged. He is also banned from social media and cannot use the internet unless he is supervised, and that supervised use is limited to school.
The hearing had an emotional moment after the charges were read aloud. A woman identified by court personnel as Rivers’ mother spoke out, saying, “This is a lie,” before she was muted.
The defense asked for Rivers’ arraignment to be set for November 16.
The Tallahassee Democrat also reported that court records connect Rivers to an earlier shooting at Tallahassee’s Governor’s Square Mall. According to those records, information from law enforcement databases and mall surveillance cameras suggested he was present and involved, and he had been placed on an ankle monitor. It is unclear whether he was wearing it at the time of the FAMU homecoming shooting, and because juvenile records are confidential, it is not known what happened in that case.
As of the latest report, five victims had been released from the hospital and six remained hospitalized, with one person in critical condition.
Police have said none of the people who were shot appear to have been the intended targets.
