Teen, 16, is charged with murder and injuring a teenage girl at a Florida high school football game

Robert Howard, 16, was charged over the triple shooting and murder at a Florida high school on Friday night

A 16-year-old student has been charged over the triple shooting and murder at a Florida high school, following a football game watched by thousands on Friday last week.

Robert Howard was arrested on Wednesday for the murder of Joerod Adams, 19, who was shot near the entrance to the Raines High School football stadium in Jacksonville in the midst of a large crowd at about 10pm on Friday night.

Adams, a former student at Raines, died on the scene immediately following the football game in a sidewalk that went from the school entrance to the stadium, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said. 

 

Adams, a former student at Raines, died on the scene immediately following the football game (pictured) in a sidewalk that went from the school entrance to the stadium

Adams, a former student at Raines, died on the scene immediately following the football game (pictured) in a sidewalk that went from the school entrance to the stadium

Witnesses are seen on the scene of the triple shooting after a high school football game in Jacksonville on Friday night where Joerod Adams, 19, was shot near the entrance to the Raines High School football stadium in the midst of a large crowd

Witnesses are seen on the scene of the triple shooting after a high school football game in Jacksonville on Friday night where Joerod Adams, 19, was shot near the entrance to the Raines High School football stadium in the midst of a large crowd

Two other teenage students, a 16-year-old girl from Lee High School and a 17-year-old boy from Raines High School, were taken to hospital with gunshot wounds. 

Investigators said several fights had broken out in the stands during the football game.  

Witnesses identified Robert Howard, a student at Grand Park Alternative School, to have been involved in a confrontation with the two male victims inside the stadium before the shooting.

‘Suspect Howard encountered victim Adams and the other male victim outside of the stadium and targeted them with a handgun,’ the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said. 

Investigators said several fights had broken out in the stands (pictured, right) during the football game

Investigators said several fights had broken out in the stands (pictured, right) during the football game

Witnesses identified Robert Howard, a student at Grand Park Alternative School, to have been involved in a confrontation with the two male victims inside the stadium (pictured) before the shooting

Witnesses identified Robert Howard, a student at Grand Park Alternative School, to have been involved in a confrontation with the two male victims inside the stadium (pictured) before the shooting

Police said all three males involved have associations with known criminal street gang members in Jacksonville.

However, at a press briefing, Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Director of Investigations and Homeland Security declined to speculate on whether the shooting was gang or drug related. 

Robert Howard was charged with one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder. 

The motive is still under investigation.  

‘Where do we get to the point that a 16-year-old male thinks its OK to murder someone in cold blood at a high school football game, that’s unbelievable,’ Sheriff Mike Williams said.  

Two other teenage students, a 16-year-old girl from Lee High School and a 17-year-old boy from Raines High School (pictured), were taken to hospital with gunshot wounds

Two other teenage students, a 16-year-old girl from Lee High School and a 17-year-old boy from Raines High School (pictured), were taken to hospital with gunshot wounds

The shooting occurred on this sidewalk, which separates the football stadium (right) from the high school (left)

The shooting occurred on this sidewalk, which separates the football stadium (right) from the high school (left)

None of the victims have been publicly identified, but the female victim was treated and has since been released from hospital.

The male victim remains in hospital in a stable condition. Both victims are expected to survive their injuries.

‘There is a lot of work that needs to be done citywide. If you get involved in the lives of a young person early, and you keep them off a street corner by keeping them busy with after-school activities and summer programs, they never get involved in some of this type of activity,’ Sheriff Mike Williams said.

‘At the end of the day, we have got to get ahead of it and get engaged in these kids lives early, so they never go down this path.

‘The suspect is a 16-year-old male. As a community, we need to stop and think about that. Where do we get to the point that a 16-year-old male thinks its OK to murder someone in cold blood at a high school football game, that’s unbelievable. We have work to do as a community’.

The shooting occurred immediately outside of the football stadium, near security screening points where fans had been screened with metal detector wands when they entered.

Police said that about 4,000 people attended the game and 1,000 were still leaving the stadium when the shooting occurred.

The police response was immediate, with 50 police officers working at the game due to security concerns stemming from prior violence at games. 

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