Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Robert Lavelle Green Jr., Jordan Isaiah Howard, James Leon Johnson and Terrell Nicholos Weeks, all 21, have each been sentenced to 25 years in prison for their roles in a gang-related shooting at Sweetwater Square on Feb. 14, 2024.
Green pleaded nolo contendere to attempted premeditated first-degree murder, five counts of attempted second-degree murder and shooting into a dwelling. Although the charges carried a maximum possible sentence of 120 years, Senior Judge Peter Sieg sentenced Green to 25 years in prison, with credit for 952 days already served, on the first charge. He also received six additional 15-year sentences to run concurrently.
Howard pleaded nolo contendere to attempted first-degree murder, shooting into a dwelling and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The charges carried a maximum sentence of life in prison. Judge Denise Ferrero sentenced Howard to 25 years for the attempted murder charge, with credit for 839 days served, followed by two years of probation. She imposed concurrent sentences of 25 years for shooting into a dwelling and 15 years for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Johnson pleaded nolo contendere to attempted first-degree murder with actual possession of a firearm, attempted first-degree murder with discharge of a firearm, two counts of shooting into a dwelling, fleeing, grand theft of a motor vehicle, grand theft of a firearm and resisting an officer without violence. The charges carried a maximum sentence of life in prison. Judge Denise Ferrero sentenced Johnson to 25 years in prison, with credit for 993 days served, on the first charge, including a 20-year minimum mandatory prison term. He also received one concurrent 25-year sentence, two concurrent 15-year sentences, three concurrent five-year sentences and one 364-day sentence.
In August, an Alachua County jury convicted Weeks in a separate case of first-degree homicide and possession of a firearm by an adjudicated delinquent. Judge Robert Groeb sentenced him to life in prison. In October, Weeks pleaded nolo contendere in the Sweetwater Square case to attempted first-degree murder, shooting into a dwelling, possession of a firearm by an adjudicated delinquent and battery by an inmate. Judge Denise Ferrero sentenced him to 25 years in prison, with credit for 829 days served, along with two concurrent 15-year sentences and one concurrent five-year sentence.
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Original incident
At approximately 1:04 p.m. on Feb. 14, 2024, Gainesville Police Department officers responded to Sweetwater Square, located at 3101 NE 15th Street, after receiving reports that multiple suspects had fired numerous shots from the wood line along the southwest side of the complex. Bullets struck at least four apartments and entered the interiors of three occupied units. Investigators recovered numerous 9mm and 10mm shell casings from the wooded area between Sweetwater Square and NE 31st Avenue. Six people were reportedly in the parking lot near the wood line when the shooting occurred, but no one was struck.
Click here for complete details about the shooting and the investigation.
Investigators determined that the four suspects were friends and members of the “43rd Street” criminal gang, which has a documented rivalry with a gang based at Sweetwater Square. Separate reports unrelated to this shooting say the “43rd Street” gang takes its name from the road in front of Eastside High School and includes “Eastside” communities such as Verdant Cove and Eastwood Meadows.
“There is no place in our community for gang activity or those who use guns to terrorize our neighborhoods and put innocent lives, including the lives of young children, at risk. We will continue working with our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners with zero tolerance for those who bring gun violence into our community. Those who choose this path will be held accountable,” Chief Nelson Moya said.
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