JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Nearly three years after 13-year-old Prince Holland was gunned down, leaving football tryouts in Moncrief, survivors began telling jurors what happened the night of the shooting.
On Thursday, a teenage witness testified in court that he was caught in the crossfire and was struck in the back. He told jurors the pain from his injuries still lingers.
Two Jacksonville men — Marcel Johnson and Kentrevious Garard — are charged with first-degree murder in the 2022 drive-by that killed Holland.
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Prosecutors showed crime-scene photographs marked with more than 20 evidence tags, illustrating how many rounds were fired during the drive-by that also wounded a football coach and an 8-year-old.
One of the first witnesses was a juvenile. He described what happened when questioned on the stand:
“Mr. Venuti said you saw a black car when you were leaving the Legends Center?”
“After the shooting, you ran from the car?”
“Yes, sir”, the juvenile answered.
The teen testified he underwent surgery to remove bullet fragments and continues to suffer back pain from the wound.
“I was hot and I was spitting thick blood, and after that it was very hard breathing,” he recalled.
Other witnesses recounted the chaos near the intersection.
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“All of a sudden I was sitting there… heard fireworks… didn’t know it was gunshots. Boom… boom… boom,” said Latanya Beeks, who testified she ducked down in her car as shots rang out.
“I was frozen and scared to move… a blue car that was medium blue… passed by me very quickly and almost cut me off,” Beeks added.
Another witness, Jacob Oldes, said, “Once I saw the muzzle shot, I knew it was a gunshot. I fled the scene.”
Testimony painted a vivid picture for jurors of a young life cut short and a community scarred by violence.
The trial will continue on Friday.
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