JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – An arrest has been made in connection to the killing of 13-year-old Prince Holland, who was fatally shot on the way home from football tryouts in December, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office announced Monday.
Marcel Johnson, 22, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder and shooting or throwing deadly missiles, JSO Sheriff T.K. Waters said. Notably, the Sheriff’s Office has not definitively identified him as the suspected shooter.
In early December, a drive-by shooting occurred in Northwest Jacksonville that killed Holland and injured a 21-year-old, who was identified by his attorney Monday as Jaylen Burroughs, a football coach who was shot 10 times trying to shield the others.
In a statement to John Phillips, his attorney, Burroughs said: “We are here to assist JSO. We thank them for making an arrest and look forward to justice.” (Read the full statement at the end of the article)
Waters had vowed to find those responsible for Holland’s death and pleaded with the community to find answers. Two days after the deadly shooting, Waters announced that the Sheriff’s Office would be adding 420 staff hours to commit to the issue and target violent crime.
“Two days after this tragic event, I stood on the steps of this building with the community and faith leaders by my side to let Jacksonville and its citizens know that even the depths of our collective grief we’re emboldened to end the senseless violence,” Waters said during a Monday news conference. “With this arrest, we’ve manifest that resolve. This agency and this city will not passively stand by while a subculture that glorifies violence terrorizes our community and kills our children.”
The sheriff said that through an investigation, which is still in progress, JSO learned that the shooting was planned and targeted.
“What I can tell you is that this shooting was a combination of escalating violence between two rival street groups,” Waters said. “It was planned, targeted and was horrendous.”
The street groups were identified as “3” and “320.”
While News4Jax was unable to get details about the “320″ group, we learned from law enforcement sources the “3″ group is fairly new and that their territory is an area near the intersection of Powers Avenue and Toledo Road. It’s located in the JSO patrol’s Zone 3.
JSO said it believes there are others involved, saying that Johnson did not act alone. An arrest report notes that the SUV that was shot at was actively pursued by a vehicle that was registered to one of Johnson’s relatives.
Waters had a direct message for the others who believed to be involved.
“We’re coming for you. We won’t rest. We will not tire and you will be held accountable,” Waters said.
Jaylen Burroughs’ full statement follows:
“I want to thank everyone for the prayers and support. I was shot 10 times and I’ve been through 13 surgeries and many more procedures, but I am certain the prayers and love from the community has helped. All I wanted to so was give youth an alternative and show them how football united and lifts us up. We’ve met with detectives and my attorney has helped them with interviews. We are here to assist JSO. We thank them for making an arrest and look forward to justice. Love, Jaylen”
Watch the Sheriff’s full news conference below: