2 arrested on charge of attempted murder after 17-year-old boy shot in the head, police say

COCOA BEACH, Fla. - A 20-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy have been arrested on charges of attempted murder after allegedly shooting another 17-year-old boy in the head, according to the Cocoa Police Department.

The shooting happened on Monday. The boy was alert and talking as he was taken to the hospital, police said. An update on his condition was not immediately available.

What happened?

What we know:

Booking photo of Gavin Neal (Credit: Brevard County Sheriff's Office)

Police were alerted to a shooting around 9 p.m. on Monday, July 7, after the boy's parent called 911 to report that her son had been shot in the head. The boy was taken to the hospital for treatment, and where officers met him to talk about what happened, police said.

Cocoa Police posted about the shooting investigation and subsequent arrests on Thursday.

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The boy told police that he and a friend were riding in a vehicle around the Sunrise Village neighborhood when two people – both males – came up to them, threatened them, and displayed a gun, police said. 

A short time later, as the boy was walking home, the two suspects – later identified as Gavin Neal and a 17-year-old - confronted him again. One of them then fired multiple times, striking the boy who was walking home in the head, police said. 

Police said video evidence and interviews helped detectives identify Neal and the 17-year-old as suspects. Both were arrested with the help of Cocoa SWAT, Rockledge Police Department, and the Brevard County Sheriff's Office's Game Over Task Force.

Both Neal and the 17-year-old have been charged with attempted murder of the other 17-year-old boy. FOX 35 is not naming the 17-year-old suspect due to his age.

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Police said the gun used in the shooting was also found.

What they're saying:

"Our detectives worked together with our law enforcement partners to ensure these two individuals were apprehended swiftly and safely," Criminal Investigations Division Lieutenant Bryan Stillwell said in a statement.

"I am proud of the professionalism and dedication shown in this case. Their efforts not only delivered justice for the victim but also removed a firearm from dangerous individuals making our community safer."

What we don't know:

The current condition of the teen shot in the head was not immediately released. 

Clarification: A previous version of this article mistakenly reported that the incident happened in Cocoa Beach. It happened in Cocoa.