JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – An 18-year-old arrested two months ago on unrelated charges was charged Monday with murder in the death of 23-year-old Glen McNeil Jr., who was shot about 1 a.m. July 5 as Fourth of July events at Jacksonville Beach were ending.
Javoris Deandre Price is charged with second-degree murder, attempted murder and armed robbery. He had been in jail on $100,000 bond since Aug. 21 on an arrest for possession of a firearm as a convicted juvenile delinquent.
According to the arrest report, police began to consider him a suspect after witness interviews eight days after the shooting. Police said a warrant obtained to search Price's Facebook account revealed he was talking to people four hours after the shooting trying to sell two handguns: a Glock 9mm and a Glock .40 caliber. It's not known if either weapon was used in McNeil's death -- police have not said if the weapon was recovered.
Police said they physical evidence allowed them to get a murder warrant for Price, but they did not provide details of that evidence.
A second man was injured in the July 5 shooting, but Jacksonville Beach police said his injuries were not life-threatening.
McNeil's family members, included his aunt and cousin, said they're stunned by the news of an arrest.
"It's bittersweet because it's like, yeah, we're happy that we're getting justice, but at the end of the day, it takes my cousin away," said Tamara Ivy, McNeil's cousin. "We could never see him again.
Ivy lives in Monterey, California. She told News4Jax by phone that McNeil had visited her on the West Coast just weeks before he was killed. She said the arrest came as a welcome surprise.
"You never know because some people get away with murder," she said. "But, I mean, we always prayed for the best."
McNeil's father, Glen McNeil Sr., posted, in part, to Facebook Monday, "Thank you God. Justice will be served." McNeil's mother also told News4Jax off-camera that she's happy about the news.
In August, a permanent memorial honoring McNeil was placed in the sidewalk near the Seawalk Pavilion. Friends and loved ones visited the memorial Monday night, leaving flowers and reflecting on McNeil's life.
"Giving flowers, spending some time here ... I felt like it was right," Amanda Pineiro, McNeil's close friend, said after learning of the arrest. "I still to this moment don't know how to feel. I don't think I'll ever know how to feel about this. Like, I'm happy that the guy who did this was caught. But at the same time, it doesn't change anything."
For Pineiro, the arrest is a reminder of the friend she lost.
"He put such a big impact on my life and thousands in Jacksonville," she said. "I'm just happy that the guy is locked up. I hope that he is forever. It's what he deserves."
Price is scheduled to make his first appearance in court Tuesday morning.