DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A well-known local boxer and his roommate were killed in a double homicide in Daytona Beach, according to officials from the Daytona Beach Police Department.
Police said the two victims, Trey Ingraham and Jordan Paden, were roommates. Officials said 19-year-old Damon Kemp, a friend of the victims who sometimes stayed over at their apartment, has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder.
Police said Kemp is scheduled to appear in court at 8:30 a.m. Sunday.
Kemp is currently being held at the Volusia County Branch Jail on an unrelated incident, according to police. Through their investigation on that initial incident – an armed burglary – police said they were led to the bodies of Ingraham and Paden on Friday night.
In a news conference Saturday, DBPD Chief Craig Capri said neighbors in the 500 block of Jimmy Ann Drive heard gunshots on Thursday night, but did not report them to police.
"I think they failed by not calling," Capri said.
Capri said it's possible neighbors knew about the crime and said nothing.
"We were there Thursday on some other issues out there, but the police were there working, why didn’t they call us? We had to find out last night as we’re there doing our investigation, 12-14 hours into this thing, to find out we’ve got a double homicide," Capri said.
Capri said an officer followed a lead to find the victims' bodies in the apartment on Friday night, 14 hours after the shots were heard.
Capri said that police are aware of the suspect's location and that he is not a threat to the community at large. He is hopeful that the department, which is working with the state attorney's office, will be able to press charges soon.
“I feel quite confident that justice will be served for our victims,” Capri said.
Right now, investigators aren’t saying much about a motive behind the shooting, but told us Kemp was arrested Thursday for an armed home invasion in this same complex.
"He actually pulled a weapon out and the victim in that actually fought him and was able to fight him off," Capri said.
The chief said they're now working to see if the double murder occurred before or after the home invasion.
"We didn’t find the homicide victims until the next day where the home invasion was called in," Capri said.
Ingraham was a former Bethune-Cookman University student who was working on going back to school, according to Capri. He said Ingraham was also a local boxer who trained at Hagler Boxing Club, often mentoring children in the community.
John Giles is Trey’s older brother.
"He was joyful, he had a personality that naturally attracted people," Giles said.
He said his brother chose a more positive path compared to many of his friends back home in West Palm Beach.
"Which is how he ended up at Bethune-Cookman. He wanted to get away, go to college and pursue something differently," said Giles.
He said Trey was a giver and was helping the suspect, who was going to BCU, get back on his feet.
"My brother allowed him to room with him rent-free. He stayed there just to allow him to get on his feet and go to school," said Giles.
His friends said Ingraham was a good guy.
"All he wanted to do was box and make a living for his family. Because where he come from, they don’t make it out, but he made it out," said Ingraham's friend, Jeremiah Lewis.
"All he wanted to do was chase his dreams," said Ingraham's friend, Shiloh Johnson.
Ingraham's boxing coach said he had a promising future.
"We were adamant about not just being a fighter, but even after leaving the gym, how to conduct himself as a gentleman," said Benjamin Wright.
BCU's interim President Hubert Grimes said the school will have counseling services available soon for any students who knew the victims.
"We want to make sure that anyone emotionally attached to this situation gets the help they need," Grimes said. "Once a Wildcat, always a Wildcat."