Jaylen Dwayne Edgar: Orlando Halloween shooting suspect to be charged as adult
Video shows police tackle downtown Orlando shooting suspect
A 17-year-old boy suspected of opening fire on crowds celebrating Halloween in downtown Orlando was tackled by police, surveillance video shows. Police said the suspected shooter fired twice in a matter of minutes. Eight people were shot in total, police said. Two died and six others were taken to hospitals for treatment. A seventh person was hurt after being trampled in the crush.
The 17-year-old accused of firing a gun into crowds celebrating Halloween in downtown Orlando – killing two people and injuring eight others – will be charged as an adult, Florida State Attorney Andrew Bain announced on Monday.
"Today I have decided to charge Jaylen Edgar as an adult in this mass shooting," State Attorney Bain said at a press conference.
The teen has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder with a firearm, he said, noting that additional charges are forthcoming.
"This decision was not made lightly and only after reviewing all the available evidence. This decision is based on several aggravating factors, including the brazen nature of the crime, and the multiple victims who were shot in the middle of the street downtown who were out simply celebrating Halloween," he said.
Why not first-degree murder?
State Attorney Andrew Bain said first-degree murder charges have to be recommended by a grand jury. He said his office will present the case to a grand jury the next time they convene.
"To shoot into a massive crowd like that shows a true disregard for life and the only recourse is to charge this defendant as an adult," he said.
Edgar is also facing a charge of grand theft in a previous case. That case will also be transferred to adult court, he said.
Do we know a motive?
State Attorney Bain did not release specifics about a possible motive in the shooting, but he said that the teenager did talk to detectives. It is not known what he said to detectives.
What happened?
Some 75,000 people were estimated to be in downtown Orlando celebrating Halloween.
Gunfire was reported around 1:07 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 1, near Orange Avenue and Central Blvd., sending thousands of people running and yelling throughout downtown, officials said.
Minutes later, the suspect fired another round of gunshots near Orange Avenue and Washington Street, feet from Orlando police officers, officials said. Moments later, police throw the suspect to the ground and take him into custody.
Surveillance video, released by Orlando police, captured both shootings.
The victims
Police identified the two men as 25-year-old Tyrek Hill and 19-year-old Timothy Schmidt Jr., a freshman at the University of Central Florida.
Eight others were hurt. Seven were shot, and one person was trampled running away.
- Victim 1: A 25-year-old Black male, deceased
- Victim 2: 19-year-old white male, deceased
- Victim 3: 18-year-old white male, shot in the lower left leg
- Victim 4: 39-year-old female, shot in the left hand
- Victim 5: 24-year-old Hispanic female, shot in left leg
- Victim 6: 20-year-old Black male, grazed by bullet in the head
- Victim 7: 26-year-old Hispanic male, shot in right foot
- Victim 8: 19-year-old Hispanic female, shot in upper back with bullet lodged in cheek
- Victim 9: 26-year-old Hispanic female; not shot, but hurt being trampled as people ran
- Victim 10: A female drove herself to the hospital with a gunshot wound.
This is a breaking news situation.