Man indicted on murder charge in Baldwin truck stop shooting

Duval County grand jury indicts Leroy Edwards on charge of first-degree murder

Leroy Edwards (WJXT 2020)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A man accused of carrying out a deadly double shooting that unfolded at a Baldwin truck stop last year was indicted by a Duval County grand jury on a charge of first-degree murder, the State Attorney’s Office announced Thursday.

The State Attorney’s Office said Leroy Edwards, 56, is also charged with attempted first-degree murder, armed robbery and three counts of attempted first-degree murder on a law enforcement officer.

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The charges stem from the shooting Dec. 19 at a gas station located along U.S. 301. Edwards, an employee of a Jacksonville trucking firm, is accused of shooting two co-workers that day. The first victim, 58-year-old Todd Phillips, died of his injuries, but the second victim survived.

According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, Edwards fled the scene of the shooting, which police characterized as a case of workplace violence, but the violence didn’t end there. Investigators said the truck he was driving was later found on Interstate 10 and gunfire erupted from the cab as officers approached the vehicle.

None of the officers were injured, but gunfire struck one of their patrol cars, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Three officers returned fire, sending Edwards to the hospital with critical injuries, police said.

Edwards was in the hospital for more than a month. He is now being held in the Duval County jail without bond.