ORLANDO, Fla. – Police officers and shooting survivors described the chaotic moments of the 2024 downtown Orlando Halloween shooting as prosecutors presented body camera footage in the trial of Jaylen Edgar, while the mother of one of the two people killed said she is seeking closure and accountability.
Edgar, who was 17 at the time, is accused of opening fire on crowds celebrating Halloween, killing Tyrek Hill and Timothy Schmidt and wounding seven others.
‘Revelry was shattered’
What they’re saying:
Orlando police Officer Marcus Medal testified that the shooting began with “one loud pop.”
Body camera footage played in court showed crowds scattering as officers rushed toward the gunfire. Medal said he then heard “several more gunshots.”
Assistant State Attorney Frank George told jurors the violence abruptly interrupted the Halloween celebrations.
“The revelry was shattered,” George said.
Gavin Jones, a friend of Hill who witnessed the shooting, testified that he saw no confrontation before Hill was shot.
“He just pulled out a gun and shot him,” Jones said. “There were no words exchanged.”
Prosecutors say another burst of gunfire followed. Schmidt was killed during that second round of shooting.
Orlando police Officer Cynthia Lane testified about trying to save Schmidt.
Tyrek Hill (left) and Timothy Schmidt Jr. (right)
“I performed chest compressions for probably about 15 minutes,” Lane said.
Seven other people were wounded. Ashley Price was shot in the foot, Noemi Rojas in the leg and Jessica De Carvalho in the hand. Anthony Berry and Jonathan Valle survived gunshot wounds to the head.
“I get seizures now,” Valle testified.
Prosecutors say video, DNA and ballistics evidence, along with witness testimony, connect Edgar to the shootings. They said video shows Edgar wearing a bright yellow shirt and bright green backpack.
Body camera footage also captured Orlando police Officer Michael Hernandez identifying the suspected shooter.
“I saw him shoot, I saw him shoot,” Hernandez said.
George told jurors prosecutors believe Edgar deliberately went downtown intending to kill people.
“The why is as easy as it is frightening,” George said. “He went there to kill as many people as he possibly could.”
‘I want closure. I wanna be able to heal from this,’
— Teresa Clinton, mother of shooting victim Tyrek Hill
As witnesses described what happened that night, Hill’s mother, Teresa Clinton, spoke with FOX 35 about the toll her son’s death has taken on her family.
“I want closure. I wanna be able to heal from this,” Clinton said.
She described Hill as caring, patient, trusting and humble. He had gone to Orlando to spend Halloween with friends, she said.
