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Teen suspect in downtown shooting waives first appearance
The teen's mother made an appearance for him Saturday morning.
Orlando, Fla. - The 17-year-old suspected of firing a handgun during Halloween celebrations in downtown Orlando, killing 2 and injuring 8, did not attend his court appearance Saturday morning. Instead, his mother stood next to the public defender in the courtroom, barely able to say her own name. "Could you speak into the microphone?" the judge asked, "just take a moment, collect yourself."
Jaylen Dwayne Edgar faces two counts of first-degree murder and six counts of attempted first-degree murder, officials said.
Edgar's mother didn't say much and was crying as she stood before the judge. The judge ruled that Edgar would stay behind bars until his next hearing. "He will be held in secure detention until his adjudicatory hearing," she said.
Attorney Albert Yonfa, who was not connected with the case, said he expected prosecutors would charge Edgar as an adult. "The State Attorney has the right to directly file this individual as an adult even though he's 17-years-old because of the heinousness of the crime he's being accused of."
Orlando Police say this all started at 1:07 a.m. on Friday, with gunshots in downtown Orlando that sent crowds running for cover. Three minutes later, there was a second report of gunfire from a block away. That second shooting happened right in front of ten police officers, who quickly took Jaylen Edgar down.
Chief Eric Smith talked about the shooting at a news conference. "We all know shooting people solves nothing. This person right here threw away his life for what? For some little beef or whatever's gonna come out in the investigation. We all know it's not going to be the most serious thing in the world," Smith said.
Police said there were ten victims in all, and two people dead, including a UCF student. "So, it's one of those kind of things we need everybody's help but we'll continue to do what we do, we'll continue to provide heavy security downtown, and have a large presence and be ready for anything that comes," said Chief Smith.
The two victims were identified Saturday as 25-year-old Tyrek Hill and 19-year-old Timothy Schmidt Jr.
Orlando Police are asking anyone who was in the crowd and may have gotten photos or video of the shooting incident on their cell phone should please reach out to them so they can get that entered into evidence and make it part of the police investigation.
After the shooting, Mayor Buddy Dyer put in place a temporary 1 a.m. curfew and ended alcohol sales at midnight. Former Orlando police chief Orlando Rolon said it was a step in the right direction. "Somewhere during this conversation, there's got to be some ground for some adjustment on how business is conducted in the downtown area."