JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The teen charged in Friday night’s triple shooting after the Raines-Lee football game warned one of his victims there would be violence before the shooting, Duval County court records show.
“Somebody going to die tonight,” Robert Howard told the victim during a mid-game confrontation, according to a copy of his arrest warrant.
Howard, 16, is charged with one count of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder. He was booked into the Duval County jail Wednesday evening and was ordered to be held without bond Thursday morning in court.
He will be back in court Sept. 20.
The teen’s father, who was in court Wednesday morning for his son’s first appearance, told News4Jax his son is innocent. His mother said the same thing Thursday morning after another hearing.
Joerod Adams, 19, was killed and two other teens were wounded in the shooting outside Raines High School about 10 p.m. Friday, shortly after the rivalry game ended, Jacksonville police said.
Sheriff Mike Williams said Adams and a 17-year-old male Raines student were the intended targets. He said a 16-year-old female Lee student appears to have been collateral damage.
The girl, who was hit by a stray bullet in her lower body, was treated and released, and the boy, who was wounded in his upper body, was in stable condition Tuesday.
Williams said Adams and the 17-year-old, who were at the game together, got into a confrontation with Howard inside the stadium during the second half.
Multiple witnesses told police they saw Howard approach Adams after the game, pull a handgun from his waistband and point it at Adams in the moments leading up to the shooting.
One witness said she saw Howard pull the trigger. She heard additional gunshots as she took off running. Another said he fled as soon as he saw the gun, and he didn’t see who opened fire.
The shooting didn’t happen far from where police were screening people entering the stadium, School Board Police Director Micheal Edwards said.
Multiple shell casings recovered from the crime scene appeared to have been fired by the same gun, according to the warrant. It’s unclear where the gun came from.
Homicide detectives said all three boys have known ties to criminal gangs, and it's unclear if the motive for the shooting was related to gang activity or the fight inside the stadium.
Forensics consultant Michael Knox, a former police officer, said guns used in crimes often are stolen and then funneled through a network of illegal transactions.
“It’s really the source of most firearms that are used in the commission of crimes,” said Knox.
He said it’s up to the public to help prevent these crimes. “There’s no simple solution,” he said, but gun owners should do everything in their power to “keep them from being stolen.”
The shooting prompted administrators to ramp up security at both Raines and Lee high schools. In addition, a dozen prep football games are being moved to Saturday mornings and Thursdays.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to call police at 904-630-0500.