He owns a gun used in Jan. 1 shootings. But he tells Ocala police he wasn't at the scene.
A judge has denied bail for the man authorities say is connected with a shooting that killed two and injured four others at a block party on New Year's Day.
Records indicate that Circuit Judge Brad King said Lebron Mondale Jones will be held without bail. Jones was arrested Wednesday and charged with two counts of second-degree murder with a firearm and four counts of attempted second-degree murder with a firearm.
The 19-year-old Anthony man waived counsel at his first appearance hearing, held Thanksgiving Day. He is expected to return to court in December for arraignment.
Meanwhile, Ocala police officials have released more details about the case.
Crime scene
According to Ocala Police Detective Zach Boyer's report, OPD officers and Marion County Sheriff's deputies were called to the 1600 block of Southwest Fifth Street in the pre-dawn hours of Jan. 1.
They arrived to find two people fatally shot and three others being treated for gunshot wounds.
The two found dead were in the roadway. Both individuals, Abdul Hakeem Croskey, 24, and 30-year-old DaMonta J. Harris, were discovered in front of residences. An autopsy determined that Croskey was shot in the head and Harris was shot in the right arm and the bullet entered his chest and hit vital organs, officials said.
The injured were identified only as a 21-year-old man, a 22-year-old woman and an 18-year-old woman. They had been shot in the legs or ankle, the report states. A fourth person, a 22-year-old man who was shot in the leg, was taken to HCA Florida Ocala Hospital.
The victims were unable to identify the shooters. Two of the victims told Boyer about a fight between women at the block party shortly before gunfire started.
At the shooting location, officers recovered numerous shell casings that came from at least three firearms. Detectives said at least two sets of shell casings came from a shed that was in a yard not far from the spot where Croskey's body was found.
Tips
Detective Ryan Park interviewed a man who said he heard individuals using foul language at the party, and he then heard multiple gunshots. This man said he saw someone firing rifle shots into the crowd.
The report notes that Detective Kyle Kern had received information that Jones was known to carry a gun. This lead was investigated by Detective Daniel Collier. The detectives were informed that there were TikTok and Snapchat videos of the shooting.
One video showed a fight and later gunshots, the report says.
After conducting interviews, detectives determined that shooters fired shots from opposite ends of the roadway. The detectives think shooters from the north side ambushed the crowd, and those on the south side returned fire.
More investigation
Detectives were told about a February case where Jones was arrested by sheriff's deputies and accused of firing shots at a vehicle. Records show the case was dropped by prosecutors due to insufficient evidence.
OPD detectives reviewed a Florida Department of Law Enforcement report about the gun seized in that case. It was a Brigade Manufacturing Model BM-F-9 automatic. According to OPD, shell casings recovered from the Jan. 1 shooting scene match that gun.
Boyer interviewed Jones about the weapon. According to the report, Jones acknowledged ownership and said no one else has access to the gun. However, he said he was not at the Jan. 1 party — even though a witness said Jones was present.
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Officials believe there are others connected to the shooting and are asking the public for assistance in identifying them.
Any information about this shooting should be reported to (352) 369-7000 or Crime Stoppers: (352) 368-STOP/www.ocalacrimestoppers.com.
Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: More details about two killings at Jan. 1 block party in Ocala
