Sarasota police statistics show teens are committing more murders

Police and residents face a new trend: Teens walking the streets armed for trouble.

Since school started, two Manatee County youngsters have died because of youth violence.

And in Sarasota, the terror track record of accused youngsters stretches back at least a year. Look no farther than the quiet intersection of 21st Street and Cocoanut Avenue.

A small collection of balloons and cards now encircles the stop sign at the intersection where William Holley's life came to an end Saturday morning. Holley is the latest victim believed gunned down by a growing number of young killers.

Sarasota Police Capt. Bill Spitler said that over the past couple of years most of the city's murder victims have died at the hands of teens or those just barely above the adult threshold.

"We have not arrested anybody in these murders over about the age of 19," Spitler said.

Among the victims, Iraq war veteran Delvis Fernandez. He was shot to death a year ago in the middle of the day at a gas station.

And this summer detectives found Roy Barnes Jr. dismembered and burned.

Police said an 18-year-old killed Fernandez, while a pair of teen brothers killed Barnes.

Holley joined the list because he drove down a street at the wrong time. Detectives suspect those involved in shooting Holley were 19 or younger and involved in a gang.

"And you see from our stats they pick on innocent people," Spitler said.

It's the same story across the state. The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice reports a 55 percent jump in the number of young adults charged with murder or manslaughter since 2003.

The increase carries over to the surging number sent to face their fate in adult court. Last year the total topped 3,000.

Joan Colnader of Sarasota stays indoors after dark. "I don't come out here when its pitch black," said Colnader, whose husband prefers to walk the family dog, Dakota, before dawn along the Bayfront regardless of his wife's concerns.

She isn't alone. But police said they need the public's help.

Budget cuts have sliced manpower to critical levels. "We've turned all of our law enforcement into reactionary instead of preventative," Spitler said. "It's scary because it's just not going to get any better." He said that means it's critical people keep their eyes and ears open.