19-year-old charged in Lakeland killing. Posted a rap video about it, Polk sheriff says

A 19-year-old man was charged with first-degree murder after he shot a rapper and rival gang member in the back and then wrote his own rap song to brag about the shooting, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said at a news conference Thursday.

The rap song led to the man's arrest after detectives found it online.

La’Darion Chandler, 19, of Lakeland was charged with first-degree murder in the December shooting death of John Daniel McGee, 33, of Lakeland, who was a known gang member nicknamed “Bang Bang,” Judd said.

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McGee died several weeks after he was shot in the back because he refused to take medicine he needed to recover at the hospital, Judd said. He also did not cooperate with detectives investigating the incident.

“What we believe is he wanted to take care of it himself,” Judd said. “He didn’t want that gang member locked up because if he was locked up, he couldn’t get to him.… He took to his death the person who shot him.”

Chandler was arrested on Feb. 22 on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after police say he pointed a gun at another person and threatened them in the Secret Cove subdivision in Lakeland. He has been in the Polk County Jail since that arrest and is being held without bail.

While investigating the December shooting, detectives developed probable cause to charge Chandler with murder in the first victim’s death, Judd said.

A Sheriff's Office news release said McGee was shot on Pirates Way within the Secret Cove subdivision of Lakeland on Dec. 17. He was transported to the hospital in critical, but stable condition.

Detectives received tips from the community and were able to identify other victims as well as witnesses to the shooting, several of whom were documented gang members, including Chandler. The victim – who belonged to a rival gang of Chandler’s - died of his injuries on Jan. 9.

Chandler was arrested in connection to the Feb. 22 aggravated assault incident near both crime scenes at an apartment where he lived on Pirates Way. Detectives served a search warrant in the apartment and discovered ammunition in a black duffel bag, the Sheriff's Offfice said.

Detectives also located a rap video on Chandler’s social media pages in which he talks about shooting someone in the back, describing details about the killing that had not been publicly released. Judd played the video at the news conference Thursday at the Sheriff's Operations Center in Winter Haven.

Chandler was convicted of three felonies as a juvenile ― for fleeing to elude, grand theft of a motor vehicle and vehicle burglary. He also was charged with possession of a firearm or ammunition as a convicted delinquent with a gang enhancement, which elevates the charge to a first-degree felony instead of second-degree.

Other rap songs on Chandler’s social media pages include lyrics about always being armed and photos of himself holding firearms.

“The suspects in shootings like this one aren't even supposed to have guns," Judd said. "We need your help to get illegally owned guns off the streets," he said. "Contact Heartland Crime Stoppers ― remain anonymous ― and get $500 in cold hard cash. Anonymity is guaranteed."

He also addressed the occurrences of multiple gang-related shootings in recent months in Lakeland, Lake Wales and Poinciana.

"Our crime is at a 51-year low, and our violent crime was down last year ― shootings like this one don't represent what's going on all over Polk County," Judd said. "But there is a problem with very young gangsters shooting at each other ― a problem that we aim to solve.”

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Polk sheriff: 19-year-old made rap video about killing a Lakeland man