14-year-old boy charged with trying to kill four in propane arson attack

LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. — The Lee County Sheriff's Office said a 14-year-old boy attempted to kill four people inside a home by igniting a propane tank at their front door.

According to Sheriff Carmine Marceno, firefighters rushed to the home on Paisley Avenue on Saturday, Jan. 5 around 6 a.m. in Lehigh Acres.

The sheriff said the suspect, Maikol Estrada Gomez, parked down the road and walked up to the house. Deputies said he had a five-gallon propane tank, a glass bottle full of gas and a wick.

It caught fire and video shows part of the front door charred. No one was hurt inside the house.

As investigators worked to figure out the motive, the sheriff said Gomez knew someone in the house. Marceno said they were friends at one point, but the friendship "went south" and there was "extreme hatred" between the two of them.

The sheriff said Gomez admitted to wanting to kill the people inside the house and hurting his former friend, who the sheriff said was around his age.

Gomez is charged with four counts of attempted murder, armed burglary, arson, making a destructive device, and possession/use of a weapon.

According to LCSO, Gomez has a criminal history including burglary and criminal mischief.

The State Attorney's Office will determined if Gomez will be charged as an adult.

He was booked and released from jail, according to jail records.