MIAMI – A Miami-Dade County judge has released a 16-year-old accused in last month's shooting at a nightclub in Liberty City.
Judge Orlando Prescott said the state does not have enough evidence to prove that the boy was at a teen night at The Spot, where 15 people were shot Sept. 28.
The teen was arrested as an accessory Tuesday.
Police arrested Will Campbell, 17, on Monday on one count of attempted-first degree murder and 14 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm.
Investigators said the 16-year-old and the target of the shooting, Trevon Simmons, 15, got into a fight a month ago at Norland High School. A witness told police that the 16-year-old pointed Simmons out to Campbell at The Spot, and that's what led to the shooting.
Simmons was shot five times in the abdomen and remains hospitalized.
Police said the teen admitted to being inside the club, but he denied knowing Campbell. Investigators said they were able to prove that he was lying by tying the two as friends on Facebook.
"He knowingly lied," prosecutor Mary Ernst said. "He demonstratively lied, and as a result of that he attempted to stop his friend from being arrested."
Police said the teen's denial hurt their quest for a motive.
"It complicated our ability to reconcile some of the physical evidence that was found on the outside of the club," Detective Eldys Diaz said.
Still, the judge said there wasn't enough evidence to hold him in jail.
The 16-year-old was released in the custody of his parents. He is expected to appear back in court on Oct. 28.
The manager of the nightclub, Tiffany Johnson, was also arrested recently after agents with the Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco conducted an inspection of the business and found three bottles of liquor behind the bar, even though the location was only licensed to sell beer and wine.
Club owners were also cited for several safety code violations during the impromptu inspection.
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