MIAMI – A 15-year-old boy appeared in Miami-Dade County court on Wednesday weeks after a shooting that injured another teen in the leg and caused the lockdowns of three schools.
During the afternoon hearing, Miami-Dade County Circuit Judge Mindy S. Glazer said Rodney Buckles, a high school student, had been transferred from a juvenile detention center as he faced charges as an adult.
“He put a ski mask over his head and concealed his identity. He approached the victim, pointed the firearm in the victim’s direction, and fired four shots,” Glazer said later adding, “He discarded the firearm in the bushes and threw the hoodie inside the garbage can.”
Glazer read the accusations stemming from a Feb. 6 street shooting in Miami Gardens. Records show corrections officers booked Rodney, who turned 15 about two months ago, shortly after 5:45 p.m., on Tuesday at the minimum-security Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
Officers arrested Rodney, who is about 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighs about 275 pounds, at about 9:20 a.m., on Feb. 7, at Miami Norland Senior High School, at 1193 NW 193 St., and questioned him at the Miami Dade Schools Police Department’s headquarters near Allapattah, records show.
During the interrogation, Rodney told detectives that the victim had shot at him before when he saw him with three others walking northbound on the sidewalk along Northwest 12 Avenue, according to the arrest report.
Surveillance video shows Rodney putting a white ski mask over his head, and placing his bookbag on the ground, according to police. He allegedly started to follow the victim, and fired at him at about 4:15 p.m., at Northwest 11 Court and 195 Street, near Optimist Park, according to police.
The high school, Norland Middle School, at 1235 NW 192 Terrace, and Norland Elementary School, at 19340 NW Ct., were on lockdown soon after, according to police.
Rodney ran away and got rid of the evidence, but when detectives later arrested him they recovered his hoodie — not the firearm, according to the Feb. 7 arrest report. Prosecutors filed 10 bondable charges against Rodney and requested house arrest.
Rodney is facing four counts of second-degree attempted murder, discharging a weapon on school property, carrying a concealed firearm, aggravated battery with a weapon, possession of a firearm by a minor, interfering with an educational institution, and tampering with physical evidence.
Glazer allowed house arrest with a GPS monitor and set his bond at $129,000. Rodney’s arraignment is on March 6.
Video of Rodney’s bond court appearance
Rodney’s bond
- Four counts of second-degree attempted murder: $100,000 at $25,000 each
- Discharging a weapon on school property: $7,500
- Carrying a concealed firearm: $5,000
- Aggravated battery with a weapon: $10,000
- Possession of a firearm by a minor: $1,000
- Interfering with an educational institution: $500
- Tampering with physical evidence: $5,000
Excerpts from the Feb. 7 arrest report
Crime scene location
Local 10 News Assignment Desk Editor Frine Gomez contributed to this report.