Four teens charged with attempted murder in Valentine’s Day shooting at Sweetwater Square

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Robert Lavelle Green Jr., 19, Jordan Isaiah Howard, 19, James Leon Johnson, 19, and Terrell Nicholos Weeks, 18, who were already in the Alachua County Jail on other charges, have now been charged with attempted murder and shooting into a dwelling or vehicle during the shooting at Sweetwater Square Apartments on February 14.

At about 1:04 p.m. on February 14, 2024, Gainesville Police Department officers responded to Sweetwater Square (3101 NE 15th Street), where numerous shots were reportedly fired by multiple suspects from the wood line on the southwest side of the complex. At least four apartments were struck with bullets, and bullets went into the interior of three occupied apartments. “Numerous” 9mm and 10mm shell casings were found in the wood line between Sweetwater Square and NE 31st Avenue. Six people were reportedly standing in the parking lot near the wood line at the time of the shooting.

Video surveillance reportedly showed a stolen orange and white Chevrolet Avalanche entering the complex just before the shooting; the vehicle drove by the six victims and then left the complex, driving southbound on NE 15th Street. The vehicle reportedly turned east on NE 31st Avenue and stopped along the wood line south of Sweetwater Square. Three people reportedly got out of the vehicle, ran through the woods toward Sweetwater Square, and started shooting at the six victims. The three people ran back through the woods and got into the Avalanche, which drove away eastbound on NE 31st Avenue toward Waldo Road.

No victims were hit by the bullets as they ran to take cover in the closest apartment. The video reportedly shows bullets ricocheting off the ground, trees, and apartment walls within a few feet of the victims as they ran.

Officers found the Avalanche driving south on Waldo Road a few minutes after the incident; a traffic stop was attempted, but the vehicle reportedly fled, and officers discontinued the pursuit but found the vehicle abandoned in the 300 block of NE 25th Street a short time later. Video surveillance reportedly showed three people running from the vehicle, all wearing black.

A short time later, officers reportedly found a group of four people, wearing all black, running from the area where the vehicle was found. Officers apprehended Green and Johnson, who were both reportedly wearing all black clothing, a short distance away. Johnson reportedly had the keys to the Avalanche and a stolen 10mm Glock pistol. Green, who was reportedly not wearing a shirt and was sweating and breathing heavily, was charged at the time with resisting an officer without violence and was released the next day on $2,000 bail.

A K-9 track reportedly produced a pair of black shoes in the woods just east of Tiger Bay Apartments and south of Fred Cone Park. A doorbell camera in Tiger Bay reportedly showed a black male with no shirt and no shoes walking through a breezeway at Tiger Bay, but officers were unable to locate that suspect or the fourth suspect that day.

Investigators reportedly found a positive presumptive match between a shell casing test-fired from the 10mm Glock pistol that Johnson had at the time of his arrest and the 10mm shell casings found at Sweetwater Square.

One victim reportedly told an officer that she saw four occupants in the Avalanche when it drove through Sweetwater Square. A second victim reportedly saw four “boys” wearing black clothing in the Avalanche. Both witnesses said one of the “boys” was “light-skinned.” Green, Howard, and Johnson are all dark-skinned; Weeks is light-skinned.

Johnson was arrested immediately after the shooting and charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle, grand theft of a firearm, fleeing, and resisting an officer without violence. Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $107,000, and Judge Phillip Pena reduced it to $37,000 two weeks later; he has been in the Alachua County Jail since his arrest.

On March 4, an officer spoke with Johnson at the jail, and Johnson reportedly identified the suspect in the Tiger Bay video as Howard. The officer also reportedly found a Facebook photo posted by Howard that showed him wearing the black shoes that were found by the K-9.

Meanwhile, an officer spoke with Howard on April 8, and post Miranda, he reportedly confirmed that he was walking around Tiger Bay without shirt or shoes on February 14.

Johnson’s cell phone records reportedly showed that he was in the area of Sweetwater Square at around 7:21 a.m. and 10:57 a.m. on February 14, and a red Honda was reportedly seen driving through the apartment complex at about 7:19 a.m. on that date; Johnson reportedly owns the vehicle shown on the video, and the driver appears to be Johnson. The video also reportedly shows two passengers leaning out of a passenger window and the sunroof as the vehicle leaves the complex.

License plate readers reportedly showed the red Honda and the Avalanche traveling together in the 1900 block of SE 4th Street at about 12:37 p.m. on February 14.

Messages between the suspects reported include statements about wanting to murder people

A search warrant was executed on Green’s Facebook account, and in a message thread about Green’s arrest on February 14, Green reportedly wrote, “dem tried to chase we did em we jus ain’t make it back to da legal feel me ykyk.” The officer reported that, post Miranda, Green confirmed he had written the message and that “legal” referred to his residence.

A search warrant was executed on Johnson’s residence and reportedly produced Weeks’ cell phone. A search warrant executed on the cell phone reportedly produced a video recorded on the morning of February 14 that showed Green and a light-skinned black male wearing a mask, believed to be Weeks, riding in a red Honda through Sweetwater Square. Post Miranda, Green reportedly identified himself in the video.

Weeks’ cell phone also reportedly contained text and Instagram messages between all four suspects on the morning of February 14 in which Weeks reportedly wrote that he was trying to put a plan in “motion.” The messages reportedly show the four coordinating to meet up just before the shooting.

A search warrant was executed on Green’s iCloud account and reportedly produced “numerous” personal notes in which he had written about committing shootings, specifically in Sweetwater Square; his gang affiliations; and his desire to commit murder via gunfire.

On April 15, the day Howard was arrested, a search warrant was executed on his residence, reportedly producing 40 rounds of 9mm Luger ammunition, the same brand as the 9mm shell casings found on February 14. Howard’s cell phone also reportedly shows that several people were texting him around the time of the shooting, but he did not respond. Shortly after the shooting, Howard reportedly messaged his girlfriend that he just “crashed,” “they might come for me,” and he would be “gone for a long a** time.”

Other messages on Howard’s phone before the February 14 shooting reportedly indicate that he has committed shootings and has “bust plenty of brains.” Personal notes in Howard’s phone reportedly discuss a shooting he had committed with Green and Johnson where they were “huntin” and “left 50 shots on the scene” before running back to the car and hearing police sirens. The officer noted that those details match the events of February 14. Howard’s notes also reportedly mention other shootings at Sweetwater Square, along with his intent to commit murder. Post Miranda, Howard reportedly admitted writing the notes in his phone about committing shootings at Sweetwater Square.

A search warrant on Howard’s Instagram account reportedly produced conversations between the four suspects:

• On February 12, Howard and Weeks discussed going to Sweetwater Square, but said it was a waste of time because nobody was there. Howard wrote that they would go back if they “get anotha chance.”
• On February 14, Weeks tells the other three suspects that there are five or six people in “the hood” and that he is “finna try to put sun in motion.” This is followed by a text thread organizing their meeting that day.
• At about 7:25 p.m. on February 14, after the shooting, Howard wrote to Weeks, “imma check to see if my jackout out dea” by “Cone Park” and “im finna see if i can find my sh*.” Howard reportedly asked Weeks to help find his belongings in the Cone Park area, but Weeks responded that he didn’t know where Howard’s belongings were because he “ran whole notha direction.”
• On February 16, an Instagram account reportedly wrote to a group that included Howard and Green, who had been released from jail after his February 14 arrest: “I seen wea da splat was when yall bois jumped out” (the officer noted that “splat” means “stolen vehicle”). Green responded, “its gone bra” and that he had “made da green hire GPD as security guards” and had “lost my fye” (the officer noted that “da green” is Sweetwater Square, which was previously known as Village Green, and “fye” refers to a firearm).
• On February 17, Weeks said Johnson (who was in jail) said he could have his “fye” and asked Howard if he could have it. Howard responded that the “only fye he had was dat 10” (Johnson was charged with possession of a 10mm Glock pistol when he was arrested) and “I got him dat glizzy and he fumbled” (the officer noted that “glizzy” means “firearm”).
• On February 20, Green, Howard, and Weeks messaged about Johnson being in jail; each of them made statements about the four of them being together on February 14, and the messages indicate that all four went to Sweetwater Square to commit the shooting. Weeks wrote that the police “was js in da right place at da right time,” and Green wrote, “Gpd slow” and “ASO woulda rammed.” Howard wrote, “dey stop chasin da car cause dey was burnt,” and Weeks wrote, “we did some unthinkable sh*t.”

Arrest report notes that the four are members of the “43rd Street” gang

The arrest report notes that the four suspects are friends and members of the “43rd Street” criminal gang, which has a documented rivalry with a gang at Sweetwater Square. Other reports, unrelated to this shooting, state that the “43rd Street” gang is named for the street that runs in front of Eastside High School and includes “Eastside” communities such as Verdant Cove and Eastwood Meadows. 

Text conversations between the four suspects reportedly describe their actions on February 14 as “steppin,” and Howard wrote that the four of them would “step to stain” (the officer noted that this means they intended to cause injury, resulting in blood stains).

According to the arrest report, the four suspects drove through Sweetwater Square, where they saw the six victims. They then parked the Avalanche and “ambushed” the victims, firing approximately 23 bullets at the victims before fleeing in the Avalanche.

Green is being held without bail on charges of attempted first-degree homicide and firing into a dwelling for the February 14 incident and charges of firing a weapon from a vehicle and possession of a firearm by an adjudicated delinquent from a March 2023 shooting at Eastwood Meadows; he is also facing the original charge of resisting arrest without violence from February 14.

Howard was arrested on April 15 for violating probation on convictions for firing a weapon into a building, firing a weapon from a vehicle, firing a weapon on residential property, and possession of a firearm by an adjudicated delinquent for allegedly shooting from a vehicle driving through Eastwood Meadows on December 18, 2022. He was subsequently charged with possession of ammunition by a convicted felon on May 1 (based on the April 15 search of his residence) and is being held without bail in the Alachua County Jail on the above charges plus the new charges of attempted first-degree homicide and firing into a dwelling.

Johnson was arrested on February 14 and is being held without bail on charges of attempted first-degree homicide, firing into a dwelling, grand theft of a motor vehicle, two counts of grand theft of a firearm, fleeing, and resisting an officer without violence.

Weeks was arrested on March 4 and is being held without bail in four cases: a violation of probation charge in a 2023 case in which he was convicted of possession of a firearm by an adjudicated delinquent and other charges; the March 2023 Eastwood Meadows homicide; possession of a firearm by an adjudicated delinquent in connection with a Linton Oaks drive-by shooting; and charges of first-degree attempted homicide and firing into a dwelling in the Sweetwater Square case.

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.