Shooting deaths of 3 teens could be tied to ‘wannabe gang,’ sheriff says

Law enforcement authorities in Florida are asking for help in finding the person or persons responsible for the deaths of three teenagers.

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The teenagers — a boy and two girls — were found with gunshot wounds days apart in north central Florida, Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said at a news conference Tuesday.

Marion County is located northeast of Orlando.

According to Woods, two of the teens were found within a half-mile of each other near the town of Ocklawaha, and the third was found in a vehicle in a lake about 10 miles away, CBS News reported.

“We’re looking for help for the families who have lost a loved one,” Woods said. “There are folks out there that know. You’ve got information.”

Investigators are “not ruling out anything,” Woods added.

On Thursday night, Layla Silvernail, 16, was found on the side of a road near Ocklawaha. She had been shot and later died at an area hospital, according to WGFL.

On Friday morning, a 17-year-old boy was also found on the side of a road about half a mile from where Silvernail was found. The boy, who had also been shot, was dead. His family has requested that his name not be released.

The third teenager’s body was found Saturday inside a vehicle that had been partially submerged in a body of water, Woods said. The 16-year-old girl had been shot. Her family also requested that her name be withheld.

Addressing rumors, Woods said there was “nothing to indicate” that the killings were the work of a serial killer, according to WFTV.

The three teenagers knew each other and were believed to have been together when the shootings happened, Woods told Fox News. Woods said the killings were believed to be “one event.”

He said it was possible that the case may have connections to a “hybrid gang,” which Woods described as a Marion County Sheriff’s Office code word for a “wannabe gang.”