Teen Sentenced to 25 Years in 2022 Deerfield Beach Park Shooting

A South Florida teenager who admitted to killing another teen at a Deerfield Beach park in 2022 was sentenced Monday to decades in prison.

Keantae Vaughn, now 17, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the Dec. 28, 2022, shooting death of 15-year-old Rickey Ferguson Jr.

A judge sentenced Vaughn to 25 years in prison, giving credit for three years already served. Vaughn’s attorney said with time served, he is expected to be released around age 35.

The sentencing hearing included emotional statements from Ferguson’s family, who described lives permanently changed by the loss. They spoke about the lasting pain and trauma caused by the killing, saying their family has been shattered.

Police said the shooting occurred at West Side Park in Deerfield Beach. Ferguson was shot in the head by Vaughn on the park’s football field. Vaughn, 14 at the time, was later charged as an adult.

Ferguson Jr., a sophomore at Deerfield Beach High School, was a standout football player admired by classmates and coaches for his talent and potential.

The case drew attention due to the young ages of both the victim and the defendant, highlighting the devastating effects of gun violence on South Florida families and communities.

Before his sentence, Vaughn listened as members of Ferguson’s grieving family shared their pain.

“You have caused a big hole and made life a living hell,” said Ferguson’s aunt, Michelle Beckford.

“My family has been completely broken by this sudden loss. We will never be whole again,” added Aunt Tamillia Johnson.

Ferguson’s father spoke of the agonizing days spent at his son’s hospital bedside after he was declared brain dead.

“Tears were streaming down his face. It’s something I live with every day,” said Rickey Ferguson Sr.

The family still has no answers about why it happened. Vaughn’s lawyer, Bruce Raticoff, maintains it was an accident. Ferguson had been with friends at a park watching a pickup game. Vaughn and another companion briefly took Ferguson’s hat but then returned it.

Then, suddenly, Vaughn pulled out a weapon and the gun fired.

“He got hold of a gun he didn’t know how to use, and it went off.”

The gun was never recovered.

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