St. Petersburg Police Major Crimes detectives arrested 28-year-old Jermaine Ivery on Tuesday, July 13, 2026, charging him with first-degree murder in a February 9, 2025 shooting in the 900 block of 9th Avenue South. The gunfire left a 27-year-old man fatally wounded after his vehicle crashed into a utility pole as he tried to drive away, and a woman was also struck and treated for non-life-threatening injuries. With Ivery now booked, police officials say every open homicide case initiated in 2025 in the city has been resolved.
According to the Tampa Free Press, Major Crimes detectives took Ivery into custody Tuesday morning after an investigation that led to his arrest on a first-degree murder charge tied to the February 9 shooting. The outlet reports that the case represented the last unsolved homicide from 2025 in St. Petersburg.
The 2025 Shooting
As detailed by the St. Petersburg Police Department, the violence started with a fight at a club at 901 9th Avenue South that spilled into the parking lot. Police said the 27-year-old victim was shot while attempting to leave, and the gunfire caused his vehicle to slam into a utility pole. He was transported to Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital, where he later died. The department's original release also stated that a 26-year-old woman was hit and treated for injuries that were not life-threatening.
Closure For Detectives
Police officials confirmed that with Ivery's arrest and booking, every open homicide case initiated in 2025 has now been resolved, according to the Tampa Free Press. Detectives described the arrest as the culmination of an extended probe that revisited leads from the earlier investigation.
Legal Implications
Ivery faces a first-degree murder charge, which Florida law defines under §782.04 and for which penalties are set out in §775.082. Those statutes allow for life imprisonment and, in capital cases where aggravators are proven, the death penalty. Prosecutors must notify the court if they intend to seek a capital sentence. As with any arrest, the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the St. Petersburg Police Department tip line at 727-893-7780 or to text SPPD + your tip to TIP411, per the department's original release. Local authorities did not immediately provide additional comment beyond the arrest notice.
