According to Spectrum News 13, approximately 75,000 people were celebrating Halloween in downtown Orlando when Jaylen Edgar opened fire on the crowd shortly after 1 a.m. on Nov. 1, 2024. Two people — 25-year-old Tyrek Hill and 19-year-old Timothy Schmidt Jr. — were killed, and seven others were injured. Edgar was 17 at the time.
Edgar was found guilty in August of two counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted first-degree murder, per Spectrum News 13. ClickOrlando reports that five of the seven victims who survived their gunshot wounds testified at trial.
He was sentenced to life in prison on Oct. 27, according to Spectrum News 13. Prior to sentencing, Hill’s and Schmidt’s family members gave impact statements. Hill’s mother, Teresa Clinton, said, “No one deserves to go through the magnitude of what my gentle giant went through that night.”
Shmidt’s father, Timothy Schmidt Sr., said his son was caring and supportive of others. “I want you to know what you took from me,” Spectrum News 13 reports he told Edgar.
At sentencing, Edgar read a statement in which he apologized, saying, “I understand that this was a very traumatic event for thousands of people. … And I want to apologize for the pain and trauma that was caused.”
ClickOrlando reports that because he was 17 at the time of the mass shooting, Edgar was ineligible for the death penalty.
MORE:
