In Jacksonville, Florida, the police have arrested two individuals and are actively seeking a third person for their alleged involvement in a gang-related contract killing that tragically claimed the lives of two people, including an Uber driver who was caught in the crossfire.
Ju’Quan Mills, aged 22, faces two counts of second-degree murder, while his girlfriend, Diamond Harris, aged 23, has been arrested on charges of being an accessory after the fact. Both are currently in custody, while the third person, whose name hasn't been disclosed, has an outstanding arrest warrant and remains at large.
Local NBC affiliate WTLV identified the Uber driver as Bryant Grund, aged 31, and the other victim as the intended target, 19-year-old Antonio Tillie Jr.
According to a probable cause arrest affidavit obtained by Law&Crime, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of gunshots on the city’s north side around 11:45 p.m. on October 6. Upon arrival, deputies discovered two victims, one in the front seat of a vehicle and the other in the backseat, both suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Tragically, both victims were pronounced dead at the scene.
Detectives later learned that Tillie had apparently been shot due to an ongoing gang feud. He was supposed to meet someone for a date when the shooting occurred, and the phone number he was contacting was registered to Harris.
During an interview with detectives, Harris admitted to having conversations with Tillie but claimed they weren't in contact at the time of his murder. She also denied revealing the location. However, text messages between her and Mills contradicted her statements. These messages revealed Harris asking her boyfriend for advice on how to "presumably lure" Tillie to her location, as detailed in the affidavit. Investigators also interviewed Mills, who initially denied any involvement in Tillie's killing. However, when questioned about the location of his phone, he reportedly stated, "the phone will tell you everything you need to know."
Mills presented detectives with some of his recently-deleted text messages and indicated that Tillie "had $20,000 on his head," which is street slang for a contract killing, as explained in the affidavit. Allegedly, he received $10,000, while the other shooter, known to law enforcement but unnamed in the affidavit, received the remaining $10,000 as he is still at large.
Bryant Grund's mother, Heidi Doyle, shared that her son had been working as an Uber driver temporarily to make ends meet. He had previously worked as a truck driver but switched to Uber to spend more time with his family. They were only staying in Jacksonville temporarily and had plans to relocate to Georgia.
Describing the shooting as "senseless," Doyle expressed her condolences to the Tillie family and shared her grief for her son. She described Grund as a genuinely good-hearted person who always aimed to provide excellent service, regardless of his profession, and noted that he was the family's primary breadwinner.
Doyle concluded by saying, "It won't be the same without him. He was a rock-solid guy. He represented truth well, and he truly loved with a big heart."
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