ORLANDO, Fla. – A 15-year-old boy was found shot Saturday evening in an Orlando residential area, and he died later that day, according to the Orlando Police Department.
Patrol units responded to the 800 block of Grand Street at 5:39 p.m., which is when officers located the boy, who has been identified as Corey Jones, police said.
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The victim’s family confirmed Corey was a student at Jones High School.
“I know I speak for the entire Jones High community, and I express the grief we feel of the loss of one of our own. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family as they go through this extreme difficult time,” Allison Kirby, the school’s principal, said in a message sent to families Sunday.
Corey was taken to a hospital after the shooting, where he was pronounced dead, according to a police department spokesperson. Police previously said he died Sunday morning, but later determined he died Saturday evening.
The department told News 6 it is unable to confirm the exact location of the incident.
“The kids came up and told me (Corey) got shot. I ran down there and he was laying there, and there was nothing I could do,” said John Keedy, the victim’s stepfather. “It’s hard. No parent should ever have to bury their child. No parent.”
News 6 spoke to Krystal Petry, Jones’ aunt who lives in Pennsylvania.
“From what I understand he was at the park near the house, hanging out with a friend when they were approached by another group and a verbal altercation ensued before someone pulled a gun and shot him,” Petry said.
Tasha Robinson Banks, who runs the Levy Hughes branch of the Boys & Girls Club in Orlando, said Corey was one of her club members.
“(He was) one that really wanted to be something,” Banks said. “He really wanted to be somebody.”
Banks said she’s tired of seeing young people killed — especially her students, like 15-year-old Antwan Roberts Jr.
Police say he was gunned down after leaving his grandmother’s Parramore home in December 2020. At last check, no one has been arrested in that case.
“We’re fighting for the lives of our kids,” Banks said. “We’re fighting for opportunities like Boys & Girls Clubs in other places to be open for kids who can come and be in a place that is safe.”
Grief counselors are on campus Monday for any student or staff member who needs to speak with someone.
The investigation is still active. Anyone who has any knowledge of this most recent incident is asked to contact OPD at 321-235-5300 or Crimeline at 800-423-8477.
This all comes as Orlando city commissioners are set to discuss a new initiative at Monday’s commission meeting, aimed at reducing crime.
They’ll discuss using funds from the American Rescue Plan Act to try and steer people away from gun violence. You can read more about that here.