The family of 16-year-old David Acker said they will continue to fight for harsher punishment for Jamalyse Alvarez after she shot her friend while playing with a firearm.
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“I want this girl charged with murder. I will not stop. I will not be happy until something is done,” said Migdalia Pagan, David Acker’s grandmother.
On Wednesday, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office arrested 16-year-old Jamalyse Alvarez, who they say pulled the trigger and killed David Acker.
Read: Deputies file charges against girlfriend of 16-year-old boy shot in Orange County
Investigators said she is currently in the Juvenile Correctional Center and is charged with manslaughter of a child after prosecutors consulted with investigators to determine the charges against her.
However, the victim’s family told WFTV tonight that the punishment for the crime was not appropriate.
“We will never have the chance to see our son walk on stage at graduation. We will never see him get married and give us grandchildren, so we are simply asking for the maximum sentence,” said Veronica Acker, David Acker’s mother.
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Investigators said David was shot around 1 a.m. in July after he and two other friends, including Alvarez, were playing with firearms at their home on Easton Street in Orlando.
Investigators said David brought the gun to her home and the three posed with it and pointed it at each other. While she was playing with the gun, Alvarez pointed it at Acker and pulled the trigger.
“She put a gun in someone’s face and pulled the trigger. This is not fun, this is not an accident, this is not a game, this is a life. A life that we will never be able to hold and love again,” Pagan said.
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David was taken to hospital where he later died.
Just 24 hours after Alverez was taken to the youth center, his family described Acker as the glue that held the family together, a teenager who was good at basketball and could swim.
The family said they plan to have discussions with prosecutors about the charges. They also said they plan to attend every court hearing until they get the justice David deserves.
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