JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – An 18-year-old was sentenced to 30 years in prison for a deadly shooting at an apartment complex across from Westside High School, according to court records.
Alex Jovan Reddice Jr. was found guilty of second-degree murder and armed robbery on Sept. 11.
The sentencing order gives Reddice credit for 596 days he has already spent in jail. He was ordered into the custody of the Florida Department of Corrections and told he has 30 days to appeal the sentence.
The shooting happened the morning of Jan. 23, 2025, at an apartment complex on Firestone Road, directly across from Westside High School.
Reddice, who was 16 at the time, was one of several Westside High students who had gone to Alberto Nieves Rivera’s apartment before school. The group was playing Call of Duty, the report said.
But when it was time to leave for school, an altercation involving Reddice broke out, according to the report. Rivera was shot multiple times.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office received a call about the shooting around 7:40 a.m. When officers arrived, they found Rivera suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He died at the scene, according to the arrest report.
Investigators said students who were at the apartment, along with another witness, identified Reddice as the shooter.
The arrest report does not spell out what led to the altercation because that portion was redacted. Rivera’s girlfriend told police that he often allowed neighborhood boys to visit before school and gave them small amounts of marijuana. She said Rivera had planned to tell them to stop coming over so often, according to the report.
After getting a search warrant, investigators found a large amount of marijuana, cash and other illegal narcotics inside the apartment, the report said.
The shooting also prompted a response at Westside High. The school was placed on alert and temporarily closed while law enforcement investigated.
Duval County Public Schools said the shooting was not connected to the school and that the alert was issued “out of an abundance of caution.” All students and staff were safe, the district said.
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