JACKSONVILLE, FL - October 21, 2020 - According to an online news report posted on the local news website Jacksonville.com, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office reported that a 20-year-old man is facing new and upgraded criminal charges following the September 5 gunfight that killed an innocent 14-year-old girl who was caught in the crossfire. The shooting took place in the 7800 block of South Renault Drive in Jacksonville, Florida.
The suspect was initially arrested on October 7, 2020, on the criminal charge of trespass on school property with a firearm, unlicensed carrying of a concealed firearm, and grand theft. According to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, the 20-year-old man has also been charged with aggravated manslaughter. According to the jail records, the suspect is still in jail due to his $475,000 bail, which was originally set at $225,000 and later raised.
The fatal gun battle was reported to law enforcement at around 1 a.m. The location of the gunfight was outside a house close to Ricker Road and Hillman Drive. As law enforcement officers arrived at the fatal gun shooting scene, they discovered two victims suffering from gunshot wounds. The first victim is an 18-year-old man who had been shot in his arm. The second shooting victim was a 14-year-old female who was only identified as M.D. Paramedics attempted to save her life, but she tragically passed away at the scene of the gun battle.
Crime investigators discovered there was a fight that occurred outside a home between two different groups of individuals. The situation escalated, and some individuals pulled out guns and began to fire at each other. According to the police, the exchange of gunshots happened across from Jacksonville Heights Elementary School.
The September 5, 2020, gunfight occurred on South Renault Drive in Jacksonville, Florida, and was started from an argument that occurred earlier in the day at a park. The dispute began over money and was an argument between the suspect and his former girlfriend, according to the suspect's arrest warrant. The ex-girlfriend fractured the suspect's car windshield, so the ex-girlfriend and her cousin proceeded to her cousin's home located on Renault Drive. According to the arrest warrant, the ex-girlfriend went to the home in order to explain to her mother what happened. Moments later, the suspect arrived at the house with his current girlfriend and her sister. The three individuals parked behind the Jacksonville Heights Elementary School located on Tempest Street.
The suspect allegedly handed a stolen pistol to one of the teens as they left to go to the house on Renault Drive to confront his ex-girlfriend. The arrest warrant states that when the three arrived at the home on Renault Drive, the individuals began to argue with the suspect's ex-girlfriend's family, of which two were armed with guns "for protection due to their concerns about the escalating argument."
The suspect then retrieved his gun from the teen holding the weapon, and a gunfight started. The suspect's arrest warrant did not state which person's bullet killed the 14-year-old girl. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office listed her death as a "non-murder homicide-" There are no current charges on any other individuals, and the investigation is ongoing.