A 14-year-old “escape driver” among four Jacksonville teens charged with triple murder

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Four teenagers are charged with murder in the shooting death of a woman and two men on Monday night in an apartment in northwest Jacksonville. One of the victims was a young mother who worked briefly in the State Attorney’s Office.

JSO Investigations Director Mike Bruno said Wednesday that a 14-year-old girl who had previously been convicted of a crime was driving the car fleeing Calloway Cove apartments in front of West Moncrief Road after the shootings. Agents from the gang unit, who had been working inside the complex and heard gunshots, chased the car for nearly 3 miles before performing a PIT maneuver to cause it to crash.

The young woman, along with 18-year-old Keon Lester, and Kyshawn and Owen Laureano Cosme, both 17, are charged with second-degree murder and criminal conspiracy. Detectives have not yet identified who the shooter was or any connection between the defendants and the victims.

The 14-year-old, to whom News4Jax does not name due to her age, is also accused of accessory and fleeing a police officer. Bruno said the four had been arrested for previous offenses.

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Bruno said three handguns (one partially disassembled) were recovered from the car, which police learned was stolen in Clay County.

Bruno said when the teenagers exploded, “We didn’t shoot these people,” officers returned to the complex and searched until they found a woman and two dead men in an apartment in Building E. Also in the apartment police said they found 100 oxycontin tablets, a large ball of white powdered substance and a large amount of cash. Detectives believe the theft was the reason for the shootings.

Police said the four teenagers committed adult crimes Monday night.

“This is not an act of random violence,” Bruno said. “It’s shocking and scary when you see you have kids (14, 17, 18 years old) committing crimes like this in our city.”

The 18-year-old appeared in court on Wednesday and was ordered without bail.

Jacksonville police no longer identify the victims of the crime, but said they were 27 and 30 years old and the woman was 30.

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A GoFundMe site identified the victim woman as a former employee of the State Attorney’s Office who “would do what was necessary for her son and his family.” The family asked that his name not be used.

“If you really knew her, you loved her for who she was inside and out,” her family wrote on the page. “May his character and love be with us forever and keep his spirit alive and positive.”

The triple shot took place around 11:50 p.m. Monday. A neighbor told News4Jax that she heard what appeared to be a 20-30 shooting at the complex early Tuesday.

The area has been battling violent crime for years. In 2015, Jacksonville City Council named 4229 Moncrief Road one of the most important places in the city where he was most likely to be the victim of a violent crime.

In 2018, Millennia Companies bought the complex at 4229 W. Moncrief Road and invested $ 10.6 million in renovations. A company spokesman issued a statement to News4Jax in response to Monday’s violence.

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“We are saddened by this violence and sympathize with those affected by the incident,” the statement said in part. “Our management and property management teams are deeply committed to responding to this event and to cooperating with police officers as they continue their investigation. For those who may need help coping with this difficult time, we have put in place disposal of advisers residents and staff “.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact the sheriff’s office by calling 904-630-0500 or emailing [email protected]. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 866-845-TIPS.