The State Attorney’s Office for the Ninth Judicial Circuit announced the 17-year-old suspect arrested in the November 1st mass shooting in downtown Orlando has been charged as an adult.
In the early morning hours of November 1st, nine people were shot while out celebrating Halloween in downtown Orlando. Two men died, seven others were wounded by gunfire and one woman was trampled on and injured while trying to run to safety.
Orlando Police Department officers quickly identified 17-year-old Jaylen Dewayne Edgar as the shooter and took him into custody moments after the shooting.
Edgar has been formally charged as an adult and is currently facing two counts of Second Degree Murder with a Firearm and one count of Attempted Murder with a Firearm which were filed by information. Additional charges will be forthcoming as the investigation continues.
Florida law requires all First-Degree Murder indictments to be secured through a grand jury and the State Attorney planned to present that charge to the grand jury in the near future.
The decision to charge the defendant as an adult is based on several aggravating factors including the brazen nature of the crime and the multiple victims who were shot in the middle of downtown while out celebrating Halloween.
“This decision was not made lightly and only after a review of all available evidence,” said State Attorney Andrew Bain. “I have personally reviewed all available records and video evidence in this case and there is no question this individual should be charged as an adult. Orlando Police estimate there were 75,000 people downtown on the night of the shooting. To shoot into a massive crowd like that shows a total disregard for life and the only recourse is to charge the defendant as an adult because it fits the egregious nature of the crime.”
Prosecutors will continue working with OPD on the investigation, which has called on the public to submit any videos or pictures from the night of the shooting that would assist in the investigation. People with information can call OPD’s non-emergency number at 321-235-5300.
According to the OPD investigation, at approximately 1:07am on November 1st, officers responded to reports of shots fired at Central Blvd. and Orange Ave. Within minutes, a second shooting was witnessed by officers south of Washington Street on Orange Avenue. A total of 8 victims were shot.
Tragically, the two individuals were pronounced deceased. The remaining six victims were transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center (ORMC) in stable condition. The ages of the victims range from 19 to 39 years old.
Below are the details OPD was able to release about the victims at this time. Victims are not listed in any particular order.
Victim 1:
Black Male, 25, Deceased
Victim 2:
White Male, 19, Deceased
Victim 3:
White Male, 18, Shot in lower left leg
Victim 4:
White Female, 39, Shot in left hand
Victim 5:
Hispanic Female, 24, Shot in left leg
Victim 6:
Black Male, 20, Shot in head (graze)
Victim 7:
Hispanic Male, 26, Shot in right foot
Victim 8:
Hispanic Female, 19, Shot in upper back, lodged in cheek
Victim 9:
She was not shot; she was trampled as the crowd attempted to flee the scene of the shooting.
Hispanic Female, 26, Injuries from being trampled
Shortly after the initial shots were reported, a suspect was located by officers on OPD’s Downtown Detail and taken into custody at Washington St. and Orange Ave. That suspect was identified as 17-year-old Jaylen Dwayne Edgar, who was previously arrested for Grand Theft in 2023.
Nearly 100 officers were patrolling downtown Orlando at the time of the shooting due to the large crowd that was expected on Halloween.
If you are suffering with trauma from this tragedy, please reach out to the Victim Service Center of Central Florida at 407-500-HEAL (4925).
