MARION COUNTY, Fla. – A 14-year-old boy faces a second-degree murder charge in the shooting death of a man found dead in his car last year near a Dollar General in Marion County, according to the sheriff’s office.
Kydris Jackson, who was already in custody for a separate incident, is accused of shooting and killing 19-year-old Griffin Smith on Dec. 2, 2023. Smith was found inside a white 2020 Dodge Ram pickup and taken to the hospital, where he later died.
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According to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, detectives learned Jackson and the victim were meeting at the Dollar General on Marion Oaks Boulevard for a gun purchase. The victim was buying the firearm from the suspect, who had planned to tell the victim he didn’t receive the payment via Cash App and try to rob him, according to an arrest affidavit.
When the victim tried to drive away, deputies said Jackson began firing at Smith multiple times.
Days after the shooting, Jackson was arrested in Alachua County after being found in possession of a stolen vehicle along with two others, described in the affidavit as juveniles but not identified. According to deputies, the vehicle was the same one Jackson traveled in to meet the victim at the Dollar General.
Jackson is currently in the Marion County Regional Juvenile Detention Center and now faces a second-degree murder charge.
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