ORANGE COUNTY, FL (March 20, 2023) — After a thorough and lengthy review, the State Attorney’s Office for the Ninth Judicial Circuit has concluded that we cannot move forward with filing charges against Jeremiah Cundiff in connection with the Jones High School shooting that claimed the life of Mr. Gamaine Brown on November 12, 2022. There is simply no reliable evidence that would support a conviction in this case.

This tragic incident transformed a sporting event— a high school football game—into a terrifying scene of violence and death. A young man’s life was stolen from him, and Mr. Brown’s family and loved ones are grieving the loss, not only of his presence in their lives, but also of his potential. The victim’s family and our community wants the person or persons responsible for this heinous act to be held accountable.

So do we.

The case against Mr. Cundiff, however, is weak, full of holes, and would never support a verdict of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Police located a sole witness to the shooting who claimed to have seen who was involved. That witness is a 15-year-old student who initially told the police that a person wearing all-black clothing that she knew as “T8” shot and killed Mr. Brown. Later, when police showed the same witness a surveillance photo from the night of the shooting, the witness identified Mr. Cundiff in the photo as the person who shot Mr. Brown.

In the photo, however, Mr. Cundiff was wearing a white and black outfit, clearly not in all-black clothing. In addition, standing next to Mr. Cundiff in the photo was a person wearing a predominantly black outfit who other witnesses identified as “T8.” The witness also lied to police about the potential involvement of one of her friends, and then modified her original statement to clarify that all the shooters were wearing masks, that she did not see the face of the shooter, nor did she know him at all. The witness could only identify the shooter by his clothing. After Mr. Cundiff’s arrest, police showed the witness a line up including Mr. Cundiff’s photo, and she was unable to identify him as the shooter.

Other witnesses described the circumstances surrounding the shooting in ways that differed significantly from what the witness described above. No other witness identified any of the people who fired shots. Further, none of the witnesses provided any evidence suggesting Mr. Cundiff was responsible for this tragedy. However, several witnesses confirmed that Mr. Cundiff does not go by the nickname, “T8,” but is rather referred to as “G.”

There is no video evidence of the shooting because the school’s surveillance cameras did not capture the area where the incident occurred, which is also the darkest part of the parking lot. Shell casings recovered from the scene show that individuals fired at least three different guns that night, but the police never recovered any gun from Mr. Cundiff, nor did they otherwise link one of the potential murder weapons to him. Currently, there is no physical evidence from the scene that links any person to the incident.

In summary, the only evidence we have is a single eyewitness whose account contradicts itself, and that of other witnesses at the scene. Even more problematic is that her claims actually suggest that another party may be responsible for Mr. Brown’s death. This simply cannot support a murder conviction against Mr. Cundiff.

We hope that the Orlando Police Department will continue to investigate this matter to determine who else participated in this tragedy, and to identify who may be responsible for Mr. Brown’s murder and the injuries to the other victims. Should further evidence establish a conclusive case against one of the perpetrators of this horrific murder, we will devote our time, energy, and resources to successfully prosecuting it. We urge anyone with information on this incident to contact the Orlando Police Department immediately.