In a tragic turn of events that has shocked the Jacksonville community, the local Sheriff's Office announced yesterday the arrest of two teenagers connected to the January murder of 7-year-old Breon Allen Jr. The two 17-year-olds, Donte McGhee and Tavaris Kelly, face charges including murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy to commit murder, with the Sheriff's Office stating that these suspects were the actual gunmen in the shooting, according to News4Jax.
Speaking on the case, Sheriff T.K. Waters expressed the gravity of the situation, stating, "When you lose such a treasured child in a situation like this, and let me stress this, there’s no murder that we take lightly. None whatsoever. But when you do the child in that manner, it weighs on you," as reported by a Action News Jax interview. The arrests bring the total number of individuals charged in Allen's murder to six, with these recent arrests shedding light on what is believed to be a gang-related act of violence.
The incident occurred on January 24, when Breon was walking with his cousin, 21-year-old Lafayette Mango Jr., along Commonwealth Avenue. The sudden drive-by shooting took the young boy's life, while Mango was injured but survived. Sheriff Waters described the attack as "gang-related," suggesting that Mango was the intended target and pointing to a larger web of violence and retribution.
"Every day is hard, I battle every day worrying about how I'm going to get through this when I'm missing him so much every day," said Breon's mother Casheena Love, in an emotional response to the news of the arrests, obtained by First Coast News. Notably, the authorities previously identified four other suspects, all of whom have been tied to the local gang 6 Block and charged with second-degree murder, among other counts.
