Man sentenced to 30 years for 2021 drive-by shooting death of St. Augustine mother
On Friday, the Office of the State Attorney for the Seventh Judicial Circuit of Florida announced that Evins Harris pleaded guilty to second-degree murder with a firearm and attempted second-degree murder with a firearm. He was sentenced to 30 years in Florida State Prison.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
Action News Jax broke the story back in June 2021 when Shaina Armstrong was shot to death in a drive-by at the corner of Christopher Street and Herbert Street. Armstrong was a 30-year-old mother of two young daughters with a third child on the way.
Related Story: ‘It’s got to stop’: Mother of 4-month-old dies in West Augustine shooting
In July 2021, Harris was arrested by St. Johns County deputies after what the sheriff’s office said was “an exhaustive investigation.”
Related Story: Man arrested in St. Augustine shooting that left pregnant mother dead, according to SJSO
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
According to the state attorney, Harris, who was 20 years old at the time, shot into Armstrong’s car multiple times as she was leaving a West Augustine convenience store with her boyfriend.
Armstrong was shot in the back and crashed her vehicle. She was taken to Flagler Hospital where she died from her injuries.
Action News Jax spoke to Shawn Alexander, the aunt of Armstrong’s boyfriend, in 2021 who said Harris was after her nephew.
“The victim’s boyfriend told St. Johns County Detectives that someone had come to the couple’s house earlier that day and warned him to “watch his back, Evins was going to get him,” the state attorney said in today’s announcement. “GPS location data from Harris’ phone also put him at the scene at the time of the shooting.”
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
This case was investigated by the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant State Attorney Mark Johnson successfully prosecuted the case for the state.
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
