ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – A 36-year-old man with autism, who police said was targeted by shooters and murdered near his home in the Vista Cove Condominiums Tuesday, was a victim of what officials said was a crime spree by a group of Jacksonville teens.

Christopher Koran O'Neal, 16, and Kevin Trevon Williams, 17, both of Jacksonville, have been charged with murder in the shooting death of Carl Starke (pictured above).

Police said Starke was spotted at a Walmart by O'Neal and Williams and was followed to his condo complex, because they wanted to steal his car. O'Neal and Williams had been casing cars in a movie theater parking lot earlier in the night, police said.

"The most innocent young guy you could pick, minding his complete business, doing his little routine that he does every day, and somebody saw him and said, 'That looks like it could be a good victim,'" St. Johns County Sheriff David Shoar said.

Starke was shot once in the chest around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday in the parking lot of the Vista Cove Condominiums off Masters Drive, where he lived with his mother.

"Something happened where they didn't steal the car, but what they did do was murder Carl in cold blood in our county," Shoar said.

The shooting investigation led to a manhunt Wednesday, which prompted the lockdown of six schools in the area -- St. Augustine High School, Sebastian Middle, Murray Middle, Crookshank Elementary, St. Johns Tech and The Webster School.

Deputies searched the woods off Masters Drive after O'Neal (pictured left) and Williams (pictured right) ran from a car that St. Augustine police believe was connected to Starke's killing. A third teen stayed with the car, which had crashed, but St. Johns County deputies and St. Augustine police, with the assistance of a helicopter and K-9 teams, searched for O'Neal and Williams, who were eventually captured. 

Police said there was evidence in the car the teens ditched, and the third teen, whose name has not been released, was taken to the hospital because of injuries from the crash. He has not been charged, police said.

Police said they are seeking several persons of interest who might have information about the case.

Like many people in the area, Carl Starke's family is still in shock but said that they are moving forward and are so grateful for the Sheriff's Office's hard work.

"Our family is beyond grateful to Sheriff Shoar and the amazing St. Johns County officers working around the clock to catch the people responsible for taking our Carl," said Carli Durden, Carl's sister. "Our family has a sense of closure due to the diligence of all law enforcement departments involved."

Durden said her family is still grieving the sudden loss of her brother.

"We were lucky to have him for 36 years. We wish everyone could have a Carl in their family," Durden said. "Carl was autistic but functioned in the highest capacity. He was very special to us and was never treated any differently. His autism was considered a gift to us, and that is what made him our Carl."

The sheriff could only talk about how senseless of a crime it is and how the mother of a 16-year-old suspect said she lost her son to the streets years ago.

"Do you know what she said? She said, ‘Look, I am not coming down. I can't come down, because I've got three kids at home that I'm trying to save. My son, that 16-year-old, I lost him to the streets many years ago, so do with him as you will,'" Shoar said.

In the end, Durden just wants people to remember the man her brother was.

"We want everyone to know that he never had an enemy and he had the purist heart," she said. "Anyone that came into contact with him would tell you that he always had a smile on his face. He made friends wherever he went and wasn't afraid to engage in a conversation."

Sheriff urges vigilance after string of crimes

During the news conference to announce the arrests in Starke's murder, Shoar pointed to another recent murder and a string of car thefts and warned residents of his county to be vigilant about their safety.

Shoar noted that many of those recent crimes have involved Jacksonville residents.

"We've had four or five incidents in the past week where we've had folks from Jacksonville -- not only under the age of 18 but above the age of 18 -- that have come down to our community and into our county and have committed a variety of crimes," Shoar said.

In May, a convenience store clerk was shot in the head by 15-year-old Sergio Morgan-Wideman during a robbery, police said. Shoar said the clerk, 29-year-old Malav Desai, was killed even though he was complying with the robber.

"There's the film, and the victim does everything right. You can see him shaking like a leaf, and for no reason, this (15-year-old) pulls his handgun out and shoots him in the head," Shoar said. "That's stark. That's remarkable, and it leaves people like us speechless. We're going to do what we have to do to make sure justice prevails."

Shoar encouraged St. Johns County citizens to be alert when they're walking to and from their cars in parking lots.

"Be aware of where you're going. Be aware of who's around you," Shoar said. "There are people out there trying to do bad things to innocent people. Unfortunately, some have succeeded in the last week."

Shoar said one of the more recent crimes involved a car theft ring broken up with the arrest of six people Tuesday afternoon in St. Augustine Beach.

Shoar also said a couple from Jacksonville led police on a wild chase after coming to st. Johns County to commit crimes.

"They came down in our community in a stolen car for the purpose of breaking into cars," Shoar said. "We wound up having to go in pursuit of these two individuals, resulting in a traffic crash."