A man accused of a deadly shooting at a Baldwin truck stop took the stand Wednesday in his own defense, claiming he acted in self-defense during what he described as an “attempted hijacking.”

Powerful and emotional testimony on Tuesday marked the start of the trial of a man accused of killing his co-worker and injuring another at a Baldwin truck stop in 2019 and a subsequent violent confrontation on Interstate 10.

Two candidates are in the running to become the next Clay County Commissioner for District 2, a district that covers the Oak Leaf area in the northern part of the county.

Attorneys who are representing defendants in five high-profile Northeast Florida cases that involve charges of either manslaughter or murder have brought into question their client’s mental competency, and some have requested evaluations.

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. 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. 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.