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16-Year-Old Charged In Friend’s Slaying Turns Himself In

Posted Oct 7, 2008 by Jennifer Leigh

Updated Oct 7, 2008 at 04:24 PM

Winter Haven police say a 16-year-old responsible for shooting to death a teenage friend and wounding another man is in custody.  Detectives say Jamel McKenzie faces charges of second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder.  McKenzie, accompanied by his attorney, turned himself in this morning.

Investigators say the trouble started Saturday night outside a Family Food Store on Avenue T Northeast in Winter Haven. According to an incident report, McKenzie pulled a gun during an altercation and started shooting.

Lindsey Buckner, 19, thinks he was the target. Buckner says he was fighting with 16-year-old Jarod Cole. He knocked Cole to the ground, and that’s when McKenzie opened fire, he says.

“He shouldn’t have pulled no gun. It’s stupid. I ain’t see nobody else with no gun. He wants to pull a gun and shoot at people, and then now his homeboy’s dead and stuff, and he’s got to live with it,” Buckner said.

Police say Jarod Cole died from a gunshot wound to the upper body after being flown to Lakeland Regional Medical Center.

Edward Turner, 25, was wounded. He was in the crowd and started running when he heard the first shots. He says he didn’t initially realize he was hit in the left arm. “I had three different holes. I don’t know how many times I got shot, but I got 24 staples, and it broke my bone, and I got a long rod, metal rod in my arm,” Turner said.

Winter Haven Police say the area where the shooting happened is known for trouble. Sgt. Brad Coleman said officers have responded to everything from drug sales and fights to a homicide near the location of the shooting. “It wasn’t too long ago, probably within the last year and a half or so, we did have another homicide of a young man probably about a block from where this incident occurred,” Coleman said.

Anyone with information should call Detective Mark Zagar at (863) 291-5730 or Detective Eric Outlaw at (863) 291-5752.