Teen shot in neck with spear gun off Palm Beach Shores

When Devil broke his leg.

South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
Teen shot in neck with spear gun off Palm Beach Shores
By Sofia Santana, Sun Sentinel

10:25 PM EDT, July 27, 2010


A teenage boy was shot in the neck with a spear gun Tuesday afternoon while boating off Palm Beach Shores, authorities said.

Connar McKee, 16, of Riviera Beach, was taken to St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach, officials said.

He was in serious condition after surgery Tuesday night, WFLX-Ch. 29 reported. He is a junior at Suncoast High School in Riviera Beach, WFLX reported.

McKee was with two other teens, one of whom wounded him, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, which is investigating the incident.

Officials said Tuesday evening that they had not determined why the teen fired the spear gun, injuring McKee. Both had been in the water, being dragged behind the boat while holding a separate rope, authorities said. It was while they were in the water that McKee was wounded, officials said.

The third teen, who was driving the boat, flagged down a sheriff's Marine Unit deputy, and the deputy escorted the boat to the dock at Sailfish Marina. There, paramedics from the Riviera Beach Fire Department took McKee to the hospital, authorities said.

Detectives were interviewing witnesses at the marina and hospital Tuesday evening.

The Sheriff's Office has not released the identities of the other teens involved, except to say that the boy steering the boat was 16 years old.

Under Florida law, anyone younger than 21 who operates a boat powered by a motor of 10 horsepower or more must have a Florida Boaters Identification card, which designates the holder as having taken a safe boating course approved by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. There was no information available on whether the 16-year-old had a boaters ID card.

Staff Writer Robert Nolin contributed to this report.


Copyright © 2010, South Florida Sun-Sentinel