14-year-old charged as adult with armed robbery in incident that led to Tiger Bay shooting death on April 19

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Zion Mykell James, 14, has been charged as an adult with armed robbery and four other felonies in connection with an incident that ended in a shooting death at Tiger Bay Apartments on April 19.

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.

Officers made contact with James, who denied calling or texting the victim.

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 also reportedly placed James at the apartment complex at the time of the shooting.

Another witness reportedly said he had been with James before the shooting, and he believed that James and co-defendant Kemani Narada Hill, 13, 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. James allegedly gave the marijuana to someone else after the shooting.

James has 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.

Hill has been apprehended and is currently being held at the Juvenile Detention Center.

James has no criminal history. Judge Susan Miller-Jones ordered him held without bond on the armed robbery charge, pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s Office to hold him without bail until trial. She set bail at $325,000 on the other four charges.

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. 

  • If society is looking at sentencing a 14 year old to life in prison, well, show mercy and give them the needle.

    • He did not kill the person. Read the story…if you even can (maybe you can’t read?)

      • But he is charged with robbery in which a person was killed. Enhanced sentencing. He also could gave charged upgraded to accessory to murder and get the grand prize. All I see us Wendy wishing for just penalty.

  • Perhaps he can be a keynote speaker at the next annual Gun Violence Summit? Will it be at the UF Hilton with Shula’s Steakhouse again this year? If so, I do hope that will be a good enough location for them, considering the fine job they have been doing. Make sure Curry gets all the lobster she can eat.

  • Take note leftists, these little demons will kill you over a bag of weed, or $20, or just for fun. “Socioeconomic factors” didn’t cause this. They are soulless.

    • It’s got nothing to do with being “left’. It has to do with the very lax laws our Governor has passed, and is now trying to make it so 18 year olds can purchase,while eliminating registration requirements. Buy being from the “right” your reality gene hasn’t developed

      • Spot on Jeff.

        Doing the math on this is unfortunately easy, but somehow beyond the comprehension of gun freaks.

        Most per capita guns in the developed world – “We’re # 1! Not even close!”

        Most gun deaths in the developed world – “We’re # 1! Not even close!”

        Gunfire rank among cause of deaths of kids in the US – “We’re # 1!”

        Try bicycles – similarly beautiful metals and viewable technology, if you like that kind of thing – I do, and actually good for you and your kids.

        • Number one cause of death with kids and young adults are accidental (unintentional injury) followed by suicide, then a distant third homicide. (CDC) the number one cause of death are traffic crashes. Ban the cars Jazzy they are the real killer. But wait. You have to start, drive, operate a car to kill someone in a vehicle crash. Just like a firearm you have to pull the trigger. PEOPLE who can not control their emotions, feelings, or egos are the problem.

          • Traffic accidents,are just that…
            “Accidents”. Unintentional..pulling a gun is intentional,and a crime. The “right” is seldom right about anything
            PS. Don’t forget to donate to the lawyers of the 34 felony convicted wannabe

      • that lad is not using the legal system to purchurse the gun

      • First off the young scholar is not 18 he is barely 14. Second Florida law does not allow the purchase of a handgun or handgun ammo to anyone under the age of 21. Third the person in question given his history and forgetting he is a juvenile who have been flagged under a FDLE query on background check. Fourth the gun is likely stolen. So in this case admit the big pink elephant in the room. It’s nothing more than gangsta wannnabes robbing and not wanting to admit or be responsible for their actions. All about misguided demongraphical information jizzed by the left.

        • But your ultra “right” governor is pushing to lower the age to 18. As well as other gun laws that will make it easier..Your whole argument makes no sense, in that 99.9percent of crimes are done with illegal guns.What exactly is your point? We all know the demographics of the ones committing the crimes.
          Guns are the problem.Guns that at some point we’re once gotten legally. There have been a number of gun incidents and killings by kids under 10.
          No guns, no problems.Seems like a lot of “Gomers” have a manhood problem they think having a bigger gun solves..Seek professional help.

  • Kids running the streets when they should be in school not buying weed. 13 and 14 years old and they have ruined 3 lives. Guns and teenagers are not a good combination. A truly sad situation for everyone. A stupid decision that has cost them everything.

  • Just 14 and misunderstood. He was trying to express his joy at coming into some cabbage from the devil’s garden. If you ask him he will say he dudnt mean too that it just happened. Give him 50 percent for showing up.

    Throw the book at him.

  • Rifles in the rifle racks in my GHS parking lots. 1980s BTW.

    GUNS ain’t the problem.

    But nooo lawd , lets no blame the parents or the POS communities that put up with this scat.

  • Where’s the parents? They’re responsible too. Throw the book at this little demon.

    • It’s probably “parent” not parents. Doubt there’s a dad in the home.

  • Taxpayers will be supporting this PoS for the rest of his life.
    Lock up the parents, or whoever ever got the tax credit for this forgotten soul.
    Somehow the word needs to get to the people that gangs won’t be tolerated.

  • The problem is the worms growing out of their heads. Everyone shown on here has had the same problem. Get rid of the worms, get rid of the problem. Simple pest control

  • 14? This little monster murderer is only 14? I guess his parent taught him well.

    • The 13 year old named Hill did the shooting. The 14 year old is charged with armed robbery. Not sure why they didn’t say more about Hill in this article.

      • Thank you for reading it correctly. I guess the rest of these comments are from people who only read the title.

  • BLM has become an ironic catchphrase for a culture of parentless violence.

  • 14 year-olds easily get guns in America.

    What could possibly go wrong?

    • Yes….to some it might be considered easy to ‘get’ a gun. Stealing comes far to easy to far too many when the DA doesn’t adequately prosecute them for stealing them. Lock your cars and don’t leave your firearm in it.

  • That spider web is a great handful.
    When bent over a pillow at Raiford.

  • Kudos to all the good old boys who think they’re making the world safer by keeping a gun in their glovebox only to have it stolen and used by a 14 year old delinquent. And then, predictably, they blame the democrats. And that’s only if they don’t pull it in a fit of road rage over a parking spot. I’ve had my car tossed twice but they didn’t get a shiny new weapon because I’m not a paranoid freak.

  • The other thing people are missing is the victim was a drug dealer set up to be robbed. Did he deserve to be shot and murdered over his criminal behavior? Probably not, but bad things happen eventually when you enter the criminal world. In the world of drug dealing you are going to get ripped off or robbed.

  • Maybe people can read the article to see that he is not the one that killed the person nor is he the one that had the gun. Reading comprehension, adults proudly displaying their lack of reading comprehension wanting to kill a kid…

  • For the people who can’t read, the person the story is about did not have the gun. A person with the name “Hill” had the gun and did the shooting” but apparently none of you can read.

    • Well my, my, aren’t you just the superior one? Talking down repeatedly to everyone else. Once would have been enough but apparently you like to hear yourself talk. Or read your own comments as the case may be.

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