Winter Garden teen Vamari Bostic appears in adult court

A 14-year-old boy is being charged as an adult in the killing of a 25-year-old in Winter Garden.

Vamari Bostic was indicted by a grand jury Tuesday, July 30, after being accused of murdering James Anthony Bacon July 4.

The 14-year-old — who was 13 at the time of the incident — faces charges of manslaughter, grand theft of a firearm and burglary of a conveyance.

“Today, a case was presented to a grand jury and a young teenager was indicted,” State Attorney Aramis Ayala said in a statement July 30. “This has been an extremely difficult process, but it’s one that was not taken lightly.”

The Winter Garden Police Department responded to reports of a shooting at about 2 a.m. July 4 at the intersection of West Crown Point Road and Edgeway Drive. Bacon’s body was found shortly after.

According to Capt. Scott Allen, of the WGPD, Bostic and Bacon crossed paths and got into an argument, during which Bostic shot Bacon and fled.

Ayala noted in her statement that “the juvenile justice system and its corresponding laws are both inadequate and dysfunctional,” and that there’s a difficult balance between protecting children from the criminal justice process and making sure communities are safe and free of gun violence.

“It is my hope that the legislature has a very clear plan on how to make juvenile justice reform a top priority in the upcoming legislative session, because without it, this community’s safety, as well as the pursuit of justice, are both compromised, and Florida deserves better,” Ayala said.

Bostic appeared in adult court Thursday, Aug. 1, and a hearing is set for Monday, Aug. 12, according to the Orange County Clerk of Courts website.