JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – While Kentrevious Garard and Marcel Johnson are on trial this week for their alleged role in Prince Holland’s death, another victim in that case was honored Wednesday night.
Jaylen Burroughs, the football coach who was shot multiple times while protecting four juveniles in a December 2022 attack, was honored for his “remarkable bravery and love for Jacksonville youth.”
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City Councilwoman Ju’Coby Pitman presented a proclamation from the mayor’s office during a gathering at a Northwest side restaurant, where friends, family, and community leaders came to recognize his actions.
On the night of the shooting, Burroughs, 13‑year‑old Prince Holland, and three other juveniles were sitting in an SUV at the intersection of Moncrief Road and New Kings Road when another vehicle pulled up and opened fire.
Holland was killed.
Burrough was shot 10 times while trying to shield Holland and three other kids, and is credited with saving the lives of 11, 14, and 15-year-olds who survived the attack.
“You serve as a powerful example of hope and an example of what it means to stand up in the face of danger,” Councilwoman Ju’Coby Pitman said as she read the mayoral declaration. “Not many people would do what you did.”
Burrough fought back tears as the room recognized him for the bravery that potentially prevented further loss of life and said if he found himself in a similar situation in the future, he wouldn’t hesitate to put his life on the line again.
“I work with kids on a day‑to‑day basis. What I did would not happen every day, but I would not have second‑guessed it. I would do it again and again for the youth,” he said.
Two men, 27‑year‑old Kentrevious Garard and 25‑year‑old Marcel Johnson, are on trial this week on charges connected to the shooting. Investigators say Johnson drove the vehicle while Garard fired the shots.
Although the shooting occurred nearly three years ago, Burroughs says he continues to recover both physically and mentally. His mother expressed pride in his courage.