Adrian Dennard Gainer Jr., a 16-year-old Black male from Jacksonville, Florida, was a teen whose family cherished his vibrant personality. “I miss his spirit, his smile, his laugh, his jokes, everything,” his mother, Elizabeth Gainer, later said. Known to some as an aspiring rapper named "Bibby," his life was cut short by a burst of gunfire in his own neighborhood.
On the afternoon of February 25, 2019, Gainer was with another man in a gazebo at the Hilltop Village Apartments on West
45th Street. Around 3 p.m., a car pulled into the complex and two men emerged carrying semi-automatic rifles. They immediately opened fire. Gainer and his companion split up and tried to flee. A witness saw Gainer fall to the ground as he was shot, attempting to shield himself. According to an arrest warrant, one of the shooters then ran up to Gainer and shot him at close range in the back of his head or neck.
Investigators recovered 45 shell casings from the crime scene. Through surveillance footage and witness testimony, they identified one of the gunmen as Hakeem Robinson, a local rapper known as Ksoo. The investigation revealed that after the murder, Robinson posted several photographs and videos online, bragging about the killing.
Hakeem Robinson was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. Another man, identified as Whitaker, was also arrested in connection with the shooting. Police stated that Robinson was a documented member of a violent gang known as “ATK.”
In the years that followed, Gainer's mother and his grandmother, Blanche Jordan, became vocal advocates against gun violence, holding marches and prayers to honor his memory. "It’s a nightmare everyday," Elizabeth Gainer said of her loss. His grandmother pleaded for peace in the community, asking, "why we all just can’t get along instead of just taking each other’s kids away." As of December 2024, Hakeem Robinson was on trial for the murder of Adrian Gainer Jr. as well as the 2020 killing of another man.
