MIAMI – The mother of one of three teenagers who were arrested in the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old boy collapsed Wednesday morning outside the Miami courthouse.
For the mother of Rachid Jacques, the murder and attempted murder charges against her 16-year-old son were too much to bear. She passed out after court was over and had to be taken to a hospital.
Her son, along with Quamaine McMillian and Devon Vickers, both 15, are accused of killing Roderick Sweeting, who was shot to death April 5 outside his Miami Gardens apartment complex.
The teen suspects didn't appear in court Wednesday, but the state announced that it plans to present the case to a grand jury to try the teens as adults and indict them on first-degree murder charges.
Jacques' attorney spoke on his client's behalf and said the teen is innocent.
"The kid is not a killer," attorney Andre Pierre said. "That is not in his DNA."
Pierre said his client may have a gang affiliation, depending upon "your definition of what a gang is."
"He does have some friends in Miami Gardens that he hangs out with," Pierre said.
Miami Gardens police believe all four teens may have been involved in an ongoing dispute that led to Sweeting's death last week as he was walking home from school with his little brother.
Police said someone in a car pulled up along the brothers near the apartment complex in the 17600 block of Northwest 25th Avenue and opened fire.
For Sweeting's mother, the arrests provide some solace in the midst of her pain.
"I want to see them and I want to ask them why," Tammy Sweeting said. "I want to see their faces and ask them why."
The teens remain in jail without bond. Their next court date is set for April 29.