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CRESCENT CITY, Florida (AP) -- A man was accused of wounding six members of a neighboring family after a long-running feud that victims said peaked when his daughter began dating a boy from their family.
Six people ages 14 to 22 were hospitalized Sunday with gunshot wounds. The youngest was critically injured.
Baldemar Riojas, 46, was held on $15,000 bail on six counts of aggravated battery with a firearm.
Members of the Soliz and Ortiz family say their feud with the neighboring Riojas family has simmered for more than a year. The dispute became more heated when Riojas' teenage daughter started dating Miguel Soliz, 15, who was among the wounded.
"All this started because they were dating," said Melva Ortiz, Miguel's mother. "I tried to tell him to leave the girl, but you know how kids are."
Angelica Soliz, a cousin of the victims, said she hid under a bed as people fired guns from the road.
"They were just shooting at us," said another family member, Maria Ortiz, 22. "We just threw ourselves to the floor, and the people who got shot, they didn't have a chance."
The violence had been building for hours. A fight broke out Saturday night among dozens of opposing family members, but the sheriff's office said there was not enough information for an arrest. Early Sunday, a 911 caller reported people getting shot.
Riojas' 20-year-old son, Baldomero Riojas, was questioned and released, but Putnam County sheriff's deputies plan to pursue a charge of reckless display of a firearm against him for allegedly firing into the air. A third man was being sought.
Riojas' wife said her husband was not responsible for the shooting.
"My husband's not a violent person. He's been in the United States for 24 years and he's never been in trouble," Lisa Riojas told WJXT-TV of Jacksonville.
In addition to Miguel Soliz, who was wounded in the leg, the injured were a 14-year-old girl who suffered a spinal injury, another 15-year-old boy, a 17-year-old boy, an 18-year-old man and a 22-year-old man.
Six people ages 14 to 22 were hospitalized Sunday with gunshot wounds. The youngest was critically injured.
Baldemar Riojas, 46, was held on $15,000 bail on six counts of aggravated battery with a firearm.
Members of the Soliz and Ortiz family say their feud with the neighboring Riojas family has simmered for more than a year. The dispute became more heated when Riojas' teenage daughter started dating Miguel Soliz, 15, who was among the wounded.
"All this started because they were dating," said Melva Ortiz, Miguel's mother. "I tried to tell him to leave the girl, but you know how kids are."
Angelica Soliz, a cousin of the victims, said she hid under a bed as people fired guns from the road.
"They were just shooting at us," said another family member, Maria Ortiz, 22. "We just threw ourselves to the floor, and the people who got shot, they didn't have a chance."
The violence had been building for hours. A fight broke out Saturday night among dozens of opposing family members, but the sheriff's office said there was not enough information for an arrest. Early Sunday, a 911 caller reported people getting shot.
Riojas' 20-year-old son, Baldomero Riojas, was questioned and released, but Putnam County sheriff's deputies plan to pursue a charge of reckless display of a firearm against him for allegedly firing into the air. A third man was being sought.
Riojas' wife said her husband was not responsible for the shooting.
"My husband's not a violent person. He's been in the United States for 24 years and he's never been in trouble," Lisa Riojas told WJXT-TV of Jacksonville.
In addition to Miguel Soliz, who was wounded in the leg, the injured were a 14-year-old girl who suffered a spinal injury, another 15-year-old boy, a 17-year-old boy, an 18-year-old man and a 22-year-old man.
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