17-year-old suspect in teen’s death surrenders to Sarasota police

A Bradenton teenager who is suspected by authorities to be involved in the shooting death of another teen has turned himself in, according to the Sarasota Police Department.

Sarasota police on Monday called for James Griffin Jr. to turn himself in after investigators say a 17-year-old was shot to death in Sarasota over the weekend.

Griffin turned himself in at the Juvenile Assessment Center in Manatee County just before 2 p.m. Monday.

Police believe Griffin was there the night of the shooting and has information on what happened.

The 17-year-old is facing charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child.

“We are asking if he sees this, or someone knows where he is that we ask them to let him know he needs to turn himself in,” Sarasota police spokeswoman Genevieve Judge said earlier on Monday.

According to police, Griffin was considered armed and dangerous.

Judge said a motive and details of the shooting remain under investigation.

Police said Sunday that officers were called to the shooting in the 1700 block of Gregg Court just before 12:30 a.m. Officers found a 17-year-old dead from a suspected gunshot wound when they arrived.

The victim’s identity is not being released at the family’s request under Marsy’s Law, police said.

The investigation into the teenager’s death is ongoing.

“Anytime anyone in our community loses their life as a result of violence it’s concerning. What’s even more concerning is that this involved two 17-year-olds. It’s very tragic what happened. Two families’ worlds have been rocked in a matter of just a couple of days and so it’s of the utmost importance that we speak to Griffin as soon as possible,” Judge said.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Griffin is asked to call 911 or the Sarasota Police Department at 941-316-1199 or Crimestoppers at 941-366-TIPS.

This story was originally published March 11, 2019 at 12:54 PM.