Deputies: 2 teens will not face homicide charges in shooting death

Teens facing other charges in connection with drug-deal shooting, deputies say

St. Johns County Sheriff's Office booking photos of Race Arthur and Dakota Constantin

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – Investigators have determined two teenagers will not face homicide charges in a January shooting death because they acted in self defense, the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office said Monday.

The two teens, however, are facing other charges in connection with the Jan. 20 shooting that deputies said happened during a drug deal.

Recommended Videos



Deputies said Race Arthur, 16, and Dakota Constantin, 17, were arrested Friday night on warrants for possession with the intent to distribute while armed and tampering with evidence. 

They were booked into the St. Johns County Jail on $150,000 bond, and are being held as adults, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Deputies said Arthur and Constantin tried to sell a pound of marijuana to 20-year-old Khalil Cooke and several others.

Deputies said Cooke and his accomplices intended to rob the teens, and Cooke beat one of them with brass knuckles. That's when he was shot and killed.

According to the Sheriff's Office, Cooke's three accomplices were arrested in January on charges ranging from non-premeditated murder, robbery with a weapon and tampering.