14-year-old ‘breakaway driver’ among four Jacksonville teenagers charged with triple murder

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. Four teenagers are accused of murder in the death of a woman and two men late Monday night in a Northwest Jacksonville apartment. A young mother who briefly worked for the State Attorney was one of the victims.

Mike Bruno, director of investigations at JSO, said on Wednesday that a 14-year-old girl who had previously been convicted of a crime drove the car that escaped from the Calloway Cove apartments of West Moncrief Road after the shooting. Gang unit officers, who worked inside the complex and heard the gunfire, chased the car nearly three miles before performing a PIT maneuver to drop it.

The girl, along with Keon Lester (18) and Kyshawn and Owen Laureano Cosme, both 17, are all charged with second-degree murder and criminal conspiracy. Detectives have not yet identified who the shooter was or any connection between the accused and the victims.

The 14-year-old, who does not name News4Jax because of her age, is also charged with accessory and the flight of a law enforcement officer. Bruno said all four previous arrests had been made.

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According to Bruno, three handguns – one partially disassembled – were recovered from the car, which according to police were stolen from Clay County.

Bruno said when the teens blew up: ‘We did not shoot the people’, officers returned to the complex and searched until they found a woman and two men dead in an apartment in building E. 100 oxycontin pills, a large amount of white powdery substance and a large amount of cash. Detectives believe the robbery was the motive for the shooting.

Police said these four teens committed adult crimes Monday night.

“It’s not a random act of violence,” Bruno said. “It is shocking and appalling to see children – 14, 17, 18 years old – committing crimes out there in our city.”

The 18-year-old appeared in court on Wednesday and was ordered unrelated.

Jacksonville police no longer identify victims of crime, but said the men were 27 and 30 years old and the woman thirty.

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A GoFundMe website identified the female victim as a former employee of the state’s attorney who would ‘do what was necessary for her son and family. “The family has asked that her name not be used.

“If you really met her, you would love her for who she was inside and out,” her family wrote on the page. “May (her) character and love be with us forever and keep her spirit alive and positive.”

The triple shooting took place on Monday around 23:50. A neighbor told News4Jax she heard early Tuesday what sounded like an estimated 20-30 gunshots at the complex.

Police testimony photos of guns found in the car that fled a triple murder in a Northwest Jacksonville complex Monday night.
Police testimony photos of guns found in the car that fled a triple murder in a Northwest Jacksonville complex Monday night. (Sheriff of Jacksonville)

The area has struggled with violent crime for years. In 2015, the Jacksonville City Council named 4229 Moncrief Road as one of the top locations in the city where you are likely to be the victim of a violent crime.

In 2018, Millennia Companies purchased the complex at 4229 W. Moncrief Road and spent $ 10.6 million on renovations. A company spokesman issued a statement to News4Jax in response to Monday’s violence.

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“We are saddened by this violence and sympathize with those affected by the incident,” the statement said in part. “Our property management and leadership teams are very busy responding to this event and working with law enforcement officers as they continue their investigation. For those who need help dealing with this difficult time, we have made counselors available to residents and staff. ”

Anyone with information on this matter is asked to contact the sheriff by calling 904-630-0500 or emailing [email protected]. Those who wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 866-845-TIPS.

Copyright 2021 by WJXT News4Jax – All rights reserved.

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