CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – The estranged husband at the center of a September shooting during a child custody exchange in the Oakleaf area now faces an attempted murder charge — and the case against the other man involved is moving forward on a single count.
Clay County deputies arrested Christopher Bouie, 29, Thursday after transferring him from the Duval County Jail.
He faces four charges: attempted first-degree premeditated murder with a firearm, two counts of child abuse, and possession of a firearm while under a domestic violence injunction.
What happened on Sept. 18
Deputies responded to 407 Bayridge Court in Orange Park at about 4:58 p.m. on Sept. 18 after a shooting was reported during a scheduled child custody exchange.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Bouie intentionally fired a gun at an unidentified man sitting in the front passenger seat of his estranged wife’s vehicle. His two minor children were present when shots were fired, according to the affidavit.
Crime scene in Oakleaf (Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.)
Deputies recovered shell casings at the scene consistent with both a handgun and a rifle, according to the affidavit.
The other man at the scene — Darrius Kirkland, 32 — had accompanied Bouie’s estranged wife to the exchange. According to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, Kirkland opened fire with an AR-style rifle. Bouie returned fire. The mother got both children to safety. No one was struck by gunfire, but bullets hit the father’s vehicle and nearby homes.
Kirkland fled in his girlfriend’s vehicle, crashed into a tree and was found by a sheriff’s office K-9 team. He was treated for injuries before his arrest.
Injunction banned Bouie from having a firearm
Court records show a Final Judgment of Injunction for Protection Against Domestic Violence with Minor Children was issued against Bouie on June 18, 2026 — about three months before the shooting. That order explicitly prohibited him from possessing any firearm or ammunition.
The fourth charge against Bouie stems directly from that injunction.
Charges against Kirkland reduced
The case against Kirkland has taken a different turn. He was initially arrested on attempted second-degree murder with a weapon, child abuse and firearm-possession charges.
A charging notice filed Oct. 8 in Clay County lists only one charge — possession of a firearm by a convicted felon — and says the other charges were dropped or changed. The document does not explain why prosecutors did not file the other charges.
Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.