JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – An arrest report details the events that led to the arrest of a St. Johns County teen and two others who are accused of shooting and killing a man in downtown Jacksonville.
A man was found dead from a gunshot wound next to a dumpster on West Ashley Street. Investigators said they were reviewing several surveillance cameras in the area, which led to the arrest of 19-year-old Ryan Nichols, 18-year-old Daniel DeGuardia and 21-year-old Holden Dodson.
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The footage captured the victim being chased by a man who appeared to be holding a gun, according to the report. The victim was then seen trying to hide behind the dumpster.
While the victim was being chased, the report said, a dark-colored Jeep Grand Cherokee appeared to be following them and stopped in the road near the dumpster.
The report said the footage shows someone raising the apparent gun and multiple muzzle flashes.
The shooter, who the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office identified as Nichols, is then seen getting into the Jeep and then the vehicle leaves the scene.
According to the report, DeGuardia was the driver and his mother was the owner of the vehicle.
The report said Dodson was seen exiting the same vehicle and going into a gas station. The same day of the shooting, Dodson reported a gun stolen, which was the same firearm used during the shooting, the report said.
Dodson and DeGuardia told police they were talking to someone when Nichols started chasing the victim, so they started to follow behind him as well.
They also told police that Nichols told the two men to get back in the car and grabbed Dodson’s gun. They also said that Nichols told them the victim was the person who had stolen Dodson’s gun.
Dodson said he heard gunfire and then heard the victim pleading for his life, saying, “Please, don’t do this,” the report stated. Dodson said Nichols fired more rounds and he saw the “victim’s head explode.”
When they were heading back to the house, the report said Dodson told police that Nichols took the gun apart and tossed it over the Buckman Bridge into the St. John’s River.
Nichols was charged with second-degree murder and DeGuardia and Dodson were charged with accessory.
Nichols is being held without bond.