Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – R’jay Jaron Copeland, 17, is facing adult charges as an accessory after the fact in connection with a shooting reported August 7 at Lewis Place Apartments.
Gainesville Police Department officers were called to Lewis Place Apartments, 4121 NE 15th Street, at approximately 7:25 p.m. after reports of gunfire. Two people were identified as victims, including one who suffered a graze to the cheek.
The victims told investigators they were outside Building 1 when a white Nissan sedan entered the parking lot. According to their accounts, one person exited the vehicle—identified in the report as the first witness—and approached them. They said 16-year-old Peter Roman, who has also been charged as an adult, was seated in the front passenger seat, while Copeland was driving. The person in the back seat is identified in the report as the second witness.
The first victim said he and the second victim began walking toward the sedan because they intended to “go smoke.” As Copeland drove away, however, the victim said he saw Roman—also known as “P3”—lean out of the front passenger window and fire several rounds from a handgun. One of the bullets reportedly grazed his cheek.
The second victim said he did not see the shooter, but confirmed that he knew all three males who were inside the vehicle.
The first witness, who was initially seated in the back of the sedan, reportedly told investigators that the victims were in an apartment breezeway when the vehicle entered the lot. According to the witness, Roman said he “need[ed] to pick a side.” The witness said he saw Roman rack a firearm and then got out of the car. He later reported seeing Roman fire multiple shots toward the victims as the sedan left the lot. The witness also said all three occupants put on ski masks shortly before the shooting.
A separate witness at the scene reportedly confirmed the identities of the people inside the vehicle.
Investigators found six .45-caliber bullets near the complex’s front entrance. No bullet strikes were located on nearby buildings or vehicles, but officers observed a scratch on the first victim’s cheek, which was consistent with his account of being shot at.
Surveillance footage reportedly captured a Black male leaning from the front passenger window of the white sedan and pointing a firearm toward the victims as the vehicle exited the parking area.
Following the shooting, Roman and Copeland reportedly made several calls to their parents. Both allegedly declined to return to the apartment complex to speak with police.
The second witness reportedly gave investigators a different account of the events leading up to the shooting. He said he saw the first victim remove a handgun equipped with a purple laser and point it toward the sedan. The witness said Copeland then pulled a pistol from his waistband, racked the slide and handed the weapon to Roman. According to the witness, the first victim placed his gun back in his waistband but continued walking toward the car. Roman allegedly told Copeland to “pull out,” prompting them to leave the parking lot. The witness said Roman began firing from the passenger side as they drove away, then the group went to Santa Fe Oaks Apartments at 8203 NW 31st Avenue, where Alachua County Sheriff’s deputies later found the sedan.
A Gainesville police officer reported that Copeland drove during the entire incident and continued operating the vehicle while Roman leaned out and fired multiple rounds. The officer wrote that Copeland “provided transportation and facilitated [Roman’s] departure from the scene immediately following the shooting.”
Roman has been charged as an adult with attempted homicide. Copeland has been charged as an adult as an accessory after the fact to second-degree homicide.
After receiving Miranda warnings, Roman reportedly told investigators that Copeland sped away from the complex, handed him a black Glock and instructed him to fire. Roman allegedly said he aimed at the victims and fired several shots before they drove to Santa Fe Oaks Apartments, where Copeland asked for the gun back. Roman reportedly said he fired only because Copeland told him to do so.
Copeland’s arrest report does not describe any post-Miranda statements made by him.
Copeland was arrested as a juvenile on August 9 and booked into the adult jail on September 16. A court document says he has an “extensive” juvenile record spanning 2023 through 2026. Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $250,000, and Copeland’s attorney has requested a bond reduction.
Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
