Ocala police officials have arrested a couple they believe is connected to the Saturday night shooting at Jervey Gantt Park in southeast Ocala.
Officers have identified the defendants as Ewonye Jyiell Pinkney and Kayla Marie Jarrell.
Jarrell, 19, of Dunnellon, does not have a criminal record. Pinkney, 18, also of Dunnellon, is on probation for unlawfully carrying a concealed firearm and felony gun possession.
They were taken into custody separately on Monday.
Jarrell has been charged with two counts of principle to aggravated battery with a firearm. Her boyfriend faces multiple charges that include discharging a firearm in public from a vehicle, aggravated battery with a firearm, and possession of a firearm by a delinquent.
Court appearances
Both defendants made their first appearance in front of County Judge Robert Landt on Tuesday. They were at the Marion County Jail and appeared via Zoom in front of Landt, who was at the courthouse.
Assistant State Attorney Laura Hope asked that Jarrell be held without bail. She citied the severity of the crime, plus the fact that, according to investigators, Jarrell aided Pinkney's escape by driving to Gainesville and disposing of the firearm reportedly used in the shooting.
Hope said Jarrell poses a threat to the community and noted that Pinkney is accused of shooting into a crowd.
Assistant Public Defender Wanda Chatman said Jarrell has no criminal history, and no one saw her with a firearm or firing a gun. Chatman said the state wouldn't be able to meet its burden to have Jarrell held without bail.
The judge researched the statute and did not find any authority to keep the young woman in custody until a pre-trial detention hearing is held. He set bail at $40,000 and told Jarrell that, if she's released, she cannot have any contact with several people, including the victim and her boyfriend. The judge also told her she cannot leave Marion County.
Jarrell's next court date is scheduled for November. Although she can post bail, the judge told her not to do so since the state has signaled its intent to seek pre-trial detention. That requires a hearing within five days. The deadline most likely will be extended due to the disruption of Hurricane Milton.
For Pinkney, the judge denied bail based on his probation status. He cannot have any contact with his girlfriend, the victim, or several other people.
What happened with the shooting?
Police officials said the shooting took place in Jervey Gantt Park's parking lot, 2200 NE 36th Ave., on Oct. 5. At the time, a youth football game was being played nearby.
Officers, who were working a security detail at the location, said there was a large crowd and they heard gunshots coming from the parking lot.
When they went to where they heard the shots, they found a man shot in the leg. He was taken to a local hospital. Officers said he has since been treated and released.
With the large crowd, officers had to control those who were there, together with trying to find witnesses. During the shooting, police officials said, it was chaos as people were running for safety, trying to find family members, or hiding.
Police officials said the gunman's action were reckless. He fired shots from a vehicle into a crowd of people, hitting the one man. Officers recovered several shell casings at the scene.
The officers located witnesses who told them Pinkney was the shooter and that he fired shots from a moving vehicle driven by his girlfriend. From their investigation, police determined the shooting was part of a dispute between two groups of people.
Authorities said they found Jarrell at her job and transported her to the police department so she could be interviewed. According to the police account, Jarrell told detectives that she and her boyfriend went to the Marion County Youth Football League game to watch his relative play. She said there was a shooting and they left. She said she received text messages blaming her and her boyfriend for the shooting.
When questioned further, police said, Jarrell said her boyfriend and his friends saw a guy they did not like. She claimed someone with the person her boyfriend did not like removed a rifle from a backpack.
She said her boyfriend fired shots because he was fearful for her and himself. She told detectives she didn't want to report the shooting to police because Pinkney would get into trouble.
Police officials said they have recovered a firearm from the incident location. They also said no one fired a shot at Pinkney.
Shots fired: Man shot in Jervey Gantt parking lot in SE Ocala while youth football game being played
Jarrell said they drove to Gainesville and stayed there before returning to Marion County.
Pinkney was later picked up at an Ocala residence, but he refused to talk to detectives.
C ontact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Couple charged in connection with Jervey Gantt Park shooting in SE Ocala
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