A 16-year-old from Opa-locka was arrested after being accused of killing a local homeless man.
The teen's bed-stricken mother spoke to NBC 6 and said she's in disbelief over what her son is accused of doing.
Prosecutors said the teen was fishing with a friend along the Miami River on May 24, when he spotted a homeless man sleeping next to a wall.
According to the police report, the teen "awoke the victim and started harassing him. The victim then stood up, which at that time, the defendant then intentionally pushed the victim into the water."
That's not all.
"The defendant then took a bag belonging to the victim from the shore and proceeded to jump on his bicycle and flee from the scene," according to the police report.
The man's body was discovered the next day.
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"If he took that bag and pushed that man into the water, he didn't realize the man couldn't swim or he was gonna drown. He was just being a kid," the teen's mother said.
Willie Mae adopted her son when he was just three-years-old. A judge ordered him to live with his biological brother, near the river, a year ago.
"They said he couldn't come back here because of gangs. So down there he wouldn't have the supervision, of course, that he would have here," Mae said.
She said her son has been in juvenile detention on a separate offense, and she had no idea about this latest charge until Friday.
"He shouldn't have to be tried as an adult for murder. He's a kid. He's a child," Mae said.
Police said a witness saw the incident happen and called police.
Right now, the teen is facing a second degree murder charge. NBC 6 is not releasing his name because he is a minor and has not yet been charged as an adult.
