MARION COUNTY, Fla. – A 14-year-old boy has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with a fatal shooting in Ocala last year.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest Wednesday, just over a year after the deadly shooting.
Recommended Videos
Deputies say Kydris Jackson shot Griffin Smith, 19, during a gun deal outside a Marion County Dollar General on Dec. 2, 2023. Jackson was 13 years old at the time.
Investigators said that around 3:15 p.m. that Saturday, they got a call about a possible crash behind the Marion Oaks Community Center.
Once there, deputies found Smith in his truck, suffering from gunshot wounds. He was rushed to a hospital but died from his injuries.
Investigators said they learned that Smith and Jackson had met for the gun deal and that Jackson started shooting at Smith’s truck when he drove away.
Smith’s truck eventually stopped behind the community center, where deputies found him. They said they found the gun from the deal in Smith’s truck.
Investigators said DNA evidence, witness accounts and other evidence led them to identify Jackson as the shooter.
Jackson was taken into custody by the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office on unrelated charges on Dec. 13, 2023, just 11 days after the shooting.
Investigators said that during Jackson’s arrest, he fled from deputies in a stolen car and had a gun with him.
After confirming that Jackson was the shooter in Smith’s death, detectives tried to interview the 14-year-old on Nov. 14, but he refused to make a statement, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Jackson was charged while in custody at the Marion County Regional Juvenile Detention Center, where he remains.