2 arrested in man's July shooting death near gas station

Ernest Alexander, Corey Lawson charged in quadruple shooting

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two men were arrested in a quadruple shooting that injured three people and killed another man, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office announced at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.

Ernest Alexander, 27, and Cory Lawson, 24, are both charged with murder and three counts of aggravated battery.

The shooting took place July 25 in a wooded area behind the Raceway convenience store on Golfair Boulevard in Northwest Jacksonville.

Malcom Osborne, 24, was shot and killed, police said. It was first reported as a triple shooting, but police said Wednesday that Osborne was one of four people who were shot. The other three were injured.

The Sheriff's Office said Alexander’s arrest took place Wednesday, and Lawson was taken into police custody Dec. 14.

Police didn’t release a motive for the shootings.

When News4Jax called Osborne's mother, Evelyn Johnson, she had not been told of the arrests. But she said the news was a relief for her family, and she felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. 

"I know what happened, but I don't really want to accept that it happened," Johnson said. "It's like a heaviness that nobody should ever go through."

For the last five months, Johnson said she had been watching a video full of pictures of her son, praying there would be an arrest in his death before the end of the year. 

Her prayers were answered on Wednesday, and she said the arrests were the best Christmas gift she could have ever gotten.

"Justice is going to prevail for Malcolm," Johnson said. "That's all I want -- justice."

Osborner's mother plans on facing Alexander and Lawson in court Thursday morning.

“I have a question to ask, 'Why? You ran him down, and you shot him, in the back. He was trying to get away, you could have just let him go along," she said.

Johnson said she'll keep praying that the men accused of killing her son pay the consequences. 


About the Authors:

Corley Peel is a Texas native and Texas Tech graduate who covered big stories in Joplin, Missouri, Tulsa, Oklahoma and Jacksonville, Florida before returning to the Lone Star State. When not reporting, Corley enjoys hot yoga, Tech Football, and finding the best tacos in town.