A 16-year-old has been arrested for the gang related shooting death of a Jacksonville toddler.
22-month-old Aiden McClendon was killed January 29th while sitting in a car with his mother and grandmother at their home on Spearing Street. Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams says they've now determined Aiden's 19-year-old cousin was the target. The cousin is a certified member of the Out East gang and was in the front yard at the time of the shooting.
“Investigators believe the shooting was part of an ongoing dispute between members of Out East and another criminal street gang known as Problem Child Entertainment,” Williams says.
As part of the dispute, the groups had been exchanging “rap video taunts” and there were other incidents that Williams didn’t detail.
16-year-old Henry Hayes IV, a certified member of Problem Child Entertainment, has been arrested for murder, attempted murder, and other charges.
“Charges against Hayes come as a result of witness identification and forensic evidence. Investigators have recovered one of the firearms and the vehicle that was used in the crime,” Williams says.
Hayes is believed to be one of two shooters who fired on the victims after driving up next to the home. Aiden was hit three times and died at the hospital.
Hayes will be tried as an adult. Williams says he was already in a juvenile facility at the time of this arrest for violating terms of a home detention arrest from late February. He has been transferred to the Duval Jail.
Another arrest announced Thursday was actually made last month for accessory after the fact in Aiden's death. Williams declined to give more information on the circumstances around 23-year-old D'Angelo Wilson's arrest, saying that would be released at a later date. Wilson's arrest report shows his charges- which also include possession of a firearm by a convicted felon- stem from February 4th at a store on 103rd.
The investigation is still very active, including the search for the other shooter. More arrests are expected as part of those ongoing efforts.
“There are a lot of other pieces to this that have yet to develop, and we have a lot of irons in the fire investigatively,” Williams says.
State Attorney Angela Corey added that they will continue to pursue the toughest charges against people involved in violence like this.
“Firing guns in the vicinity of, or in the direction of, human beings will not be tolerated in the Fourth Judicial Circuit,” she says.
Problem Child Entertainment has 16 certified members, while Out East has 65, according to Williams. Both groups are certified criminal street gangs per state statute.
Williams declined to elaborate on the steps they've been taking to fight back against violence and specifically gang related activity. He did say that he's using newly pledged overtime funds to increase staffing in all parts of town that see a lot of gang-related violence.
He says the community has also stepped up in this case- more than a dozen tips through Crime Stoppers and even more information submitted to police have directly contributed to their efforts in the ongoing investigation. He's encouraging anyone else with information about the shooting, gangs, or suspects to come forward.
Jail records show Hayes is not eligible for bond and is scheduled to appear in front of a judge Friday morning.
