JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two of the six people charged in the deadly shooting of a Jacksonville 7-year-old in January pleaded not guilty in court Thursday.
Keith Johnson, 21, and Dannel Larkins, 20, are two of the older defendants in the Breon Allen Jr. murder case.
They appeared before a judge separately on Thursday and each entered pleas of not guilty to charges of murder, attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
Larkins will be back in court April 29, and Johnson will be back in court on May 1. Johnson is also facing charges in two unrelated cases.
The other four charged in Breon’s murder are 17-year-old Donte McGhee, 17-year-old Tavaris Kelly, 18-year-old Keith Fields and 24-year-old Zharod Sykes.
The January shooting also seriously injured Breon’s cousin, Lafayette Mango Jr., 21.
McGhee and Kelly “are the actual gunmen who carried out this horrific and brutal shooting,” Sheriff T.K. Waters said when their arrests were announced last week.
They are charged with murder, attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
(Press play above to watch the arrest announcement)
“It’s very gratifying to be able to at least give mom, not necessarily any closure, because you don’t ever close up a moment like this, but to give mom something to rest on, knowing that she has her agency and her city standing behind her,” Waters said.
Waters said the shooting was “a targeted, planned act of bloodshed,” adding that it was gang-affiliated.
According to the arrest warrants for Fields, Larkins, Johnson and Sykes, the suspects were members or associates of 6 block and the shooting that took Allen’s life “was motivated with the purpose to benefit, promote, and/or further the interest of the criminal gang.”
Police said Mango is a rapper and documented associate of the criminal gang “ATK.” ATK is one of the rival gangs to 6 block, JSO said, and the ongoing feud between the two gangs led to the shooting death of Charles Jones, a popular Jacksonville rapper known as “Julio Foolio,” last year.
Jones was a prominent member of 6 block and all five of the people accused in Jones’ ambush murder in Tampa have connections to either ATK or 1200, another rival gang, according to JSO.
The feud between 6 block and its rival gangs ATK and 1200 has spanned over a decade, with dozens of murders by and against both sides, JSO has said.
Following the death of Jones in June 2024, investigators said Mango released a song titled “6 Ways To Die” featuring another rapper who is also affiliated with ATK.
In the song, investigators said Mango “disses” multiple 6 block members who have died, including Foolio, Lawrence Davis, 21, and Adrian McKinzie, 16, who were murdered in 2018 and 2023, respectively. There is also a reference to Julian House, who was murdered in 2023 after he reportedly left a recording studio.
Investigators said cellphone location data placed the men accused in Breon’s death at the scene of the shooting as well as near the scene where a black Kia, believed to be used as the getaway car, was later found.
Investigators searched the black Kia where they found a match to the spent rifle casings found at the scene.
Breon’s parents, Casheena Love and Breon Allen Sr., said they were surprised to learn there were six arrests made in connection with their son’s murder, and they were even more surprised to learn their ages.
“They all kids, haven’t even experienced life yet. That’s what’s crazy. Who could even talk to them to want to do something like that? There is so much more to do than hanging and shooting and hurting,” Love said.
Watch Breon’s parents’ full reaction after learning of the two new arrests in the video below
Waters said all the people believed to be involved in the shooting are now behind bars.
“Our agency will continue to work with our partners at the State Attorney’s Office to ensure that the six arrests will be held accountable and receive the punishment that they rightfully deserve,” Waters said.
