13-year-old charged as adult with first-degree murder for Tiger Bay shooting death in April
Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Ke’mani Narda Lee Hill, 13, has been charged as an adult with first-degree murder, armed robbery, shooting into an occupied vehicle, possession of a firearm by a minor, and conspiracy to commit armed robbery. Hill was reportedly wearing an ankle monitor at the time of the shooting.
At about 11:42 a.m. on April 19, Gainesville Police Department (GPD) Officers responded to Tiger Bay Apartments (484 SE 24th Dr.) and found a male victim deceased inside his vehicle.
Surveillance video from the complex reportedly showed the victim arriving and parking near Building 4. About two minutes later, the vehicle rapidly reversed, swerved, and crashed into the leasing office.
A witness who was in the victim’s vehicle said the victim was on the phone with someone when he arrived at the complex; after he parked, several black juveniles walked up to the driver’s side window, then one of the juveniles snatched a bag of marijuana from the victim’s lap and ran. When the victim began backing out of the parking space, the witness said, another juvenile stuck a gun through the window, then the witness heard a gunshot. The victim drove away quickly and then crashed into the building, and the witness said she noticed at that time that the victim had been shot.
A GPD detective searched the victim’s phone and reportedly found phone calls and text messages, setting up a marijuana sale, to a phone number that was found to be registered to a relative of Zion James, 14, Hill’s co-defendant; James has also been charged as an adult with armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, tampering with evidence, distributing a controlled substance, and using a two-way communications device to facilitate a felony.
Officers made contact with James, who denied calling or texting the victim. However, according to the sworn complaint filed against Hill, James eventually provided information that led to the identification of Hill as the shooter. Detectives also learned that the shooter was currently on a juvenile ankle monitor.
Using the juvenile ankle monitor system, detectives reportedly confirmed that Hill was in the area of the shooting at the time of the incident.
A detective obtained a search warrant for James’ phone and reportedly recovered deleted phone calls and text messages between James and the victim. The phone also reportedly showed that James had attempted several CashApp transactions to the victim in the seconds before the victim was shot. The location information on the phone reportedly placed James at the apartment complex at the time of the shooting.
Another witness reportedly said he and James had met up with Hill before the shooting and that James and Hill intended to rob the victim of marijuana. The witness reportedly said that James used a “Cash App glitch” (pretending to send a payment while the phone is in airplane mode) to pretend to pay the victim, then James allegedly snatched a small bag of marijuana from the victim and ran. The witness said that after James grabbed the marijuana, he saw the victim smile and begin to drive away, but then Hill allegedly pulled out a small gun and shot at the victim.
The witness said he and Hill fled to Hill’s girlfriend’s apartment after the shooting (Kiyanah Stephens, 17, who is described as Hill’s girlfriend in the sworn complaint filed against her, has been charged as an adult with perjury in this case), and detectives reportedly obtained video from a camera inside Stephens’ apartment building that showed Hill and this witness next to Stephens’ apartment “several seconds after the homicide.”
A search warrant was obtained for Hill’s Instagram account, and Hill reportedly sent a message to Stephens at 11:43 a.m. (one minute after the homicide) that said, “I shot him man. Unlock the door… Bro pls. Cover do something. Crack it just take the gun.” The time stamp of the message reportedly aligns with the video showing Hill next to Stephens’ apartment.
Hill’s Instagram account also reportedly included “numerous images” of Hill with a firearm; the firearm reportedly matches the description of the firearm provided by witnesses after the Tiger Bay homicide.
Hill has juvenile convictions in 2023 and 2024. Judge Susan Miller-Jones ordered her held without bail on three of the counts, pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s Office to hold her without bail until trial, and she set bail at $150,000 on each of the other two counts.
Charges and bail amounts:
- First-degree murder (capital felony) – no bond
- Armed robbery (first-degree felony) – no bond
- Conspiracy to commit armed robbery (first-degree felony) – no bond
- Shooting into an occupied vehicle (second-degree felony) – $150,000
- Possession of a firearm by a minor (first-degree misdemeanor) – $150,000
Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Product of alachua county schools
Ignorance speaking. Product of parents that have not done their job. Period…enough said.
No parental responsibility. Apparently the parents are just fine with their children running amok while taxpayers foot the bill for raising them. The truth will set you free, however, most are just fine with this level of irresponsibility.
My mom is actually trying her hardest to keep her away from dis stuff
Actually a product of a local charter school, try again homie.
I agree!!!!
These little POS are wearing ankle monitors for a reason. The monitor should be set to go off if they leave the house or school property. Just saying there is a tracking system in place why is he at an apt. Complex when he should be at school or home? When you are on a monitor you should be drug tested weekly and call in every day. I just wonder if some of this crap can be avoided with a little proactive aggressive monitoring.
a friend 0f mine was on a monitor out of clay county they called if she went out side the fence so appaerently someone isn’t monitiring them to close
Was the suspect a legit resident of Tiger Bay , or one of our other 24+ ACLU-designed housing projects, by chance?
NOTE the judges’ sudden higher bails and no bails is merely election year scheming, and summer heat protection of their golden geese 👹🤡👿👺💩D
Hopefully she will face the death penalty since she’s charged as an adult.
Some murderesses mature early. I’ve heard that early physical maturation is more common today than ever (while mental maturation is probably permanently delayed) because no youngster is mal fed but there is no adult guidance on how to behave (viz Lord of the Flies).
The legal guardian(s) of this waste of oxygen should be held responsible to some degree as well! This degenerate would be a prime candidate for the left wing tuuuuurds desire for late term abortion!
Another child criminal. Must be the local chapter of Huggies Thuggies.
Her or a him?
I’m pretty sure they used a gender pronoun. Her
Definitely looks like an adult. I’m sure they was a good kid. Just got caught up with the wrong crowd. No one fears prison it seems. But when you can workout and watch tv and play basketball all day, 3 free meals maybe not so bad. Maybe better than the hood?
Don’t kid yourself. Stale and molded food is hardly the resort you paint
Life GONE,,sad
The early education plan for new teen-agers and gun ownership appears to be working well.
Prime case of where we’re the parents in raising this child?
13 years old and lookin at a life sentence for murder. It is obvious that the ‘streets’ raised Mr. Hill.
Had he both parents to raise & role model for him, chances are this tragic loss of life may not have happened.
Well the dummy Governor and his goons lowered the legal age in which kids can buy guns. That doesn’t sound too bright either
First as far as I know lowering the age did not get passed. And if it did it wouldn’t have lowered it to 13. An 18 year old is not a kid. For almost all legal purposes an 18 year old is an adult.
You try to play the leftist race card to make an excuse for why a 13 year old would have a gun, be involved with drugs and wantonly just shoot and kill someone. From the description of the incident it appears this was an execution.
Instead of excuse making how about facing the facts. Where are/were the parents? How about a community effort to not accept and perpetrate the idea that society is at fault. How about community responsibility vice community excuses. If I were on a jury those worn out arguments would not bring a ear to my eye.
The sad fact is one person is dead and the perpetrators life is over at age 13. But why requires honest answers.
You calling someone else “dumb” when you voted for that drug attic waste gillum and switch hitter pos crist… is HILARIOUS!
IT’S A GIRL !
What a surprise. Usual suspects.
What a beautiful culture. His parents(mother) should be arrested too or at least thrown out of the subsidized housing. Why is the public supporting this BS?
Stand on that for mass school shooting murders as well.
This “un-culture” is responsible for 72% of ALL crime in the USA, 52% of all murders and are the largest segment of the prison population stats from the FBI. But government is afraid to even discuss the problem much less do anything about it.
These little Tiger Bay thugs steal cars and do other stuff that the cops never follow up on even though they have the evidence. Maybe this could have been prevented if the little monster had been charged and locked up for some previous crime that was allowed to slide.
LIFE! Just start giving all these jits life. They wanna be locked up like their big homies at this point. Get as many as you can away from my son, nieces and nephews. GIVE THEM LIFE. Start making examples because it’s getting worst on a daily.
The parents clearly don’t care. They just send their kids outside and say do what you want it’s a free country. SMH
Free my dawg she ain’t een do nun