On August 11, 2016, 19-year-old Johnathan Alexander Hoover was found dead at his home in Niceville, Florida. The tragic incident occurred in the early hours of the morning at 304 Reeves Street, Lot E-8, in the Homestead Mobile Home Park. According to reports, Hoover was fatally shot in the head by Zachary Joseph Scott Maclean, a 22-year-old resident of Valparaiso, who was visiting Hoover at the time. Witnesses present at the scene stated that they were in the living room/kitchen area of the trailer, smoking weed, listening to music, and talking when the shooting occurred. A 9mm pistol, later identified as stolen from Okaloosa County, was on the kitchen counter. Maclean reportedly picked up the pistol and shot Hoover in the head without any apparent reason. The gunshot was described as a flash of light, and the sound caused the witnesses' ears to ring. One witness, who was in a bedroom at the time, ran into the living room upon hearing the shot and saw Maclean standing with the gun in his hand while Hoover lay on the floor, bleeding heavily from the head.
Following the shooting, Maclean began to gather his belongings and urged the witnesses to leave the scene. He then fled the trailer, either on foot or on a bicycle. The police arrived shortly after and, with the help of the witnesses who identified Maclean from a photo lineup, began searching the area. Maclean was located later that morning and initially charged with a probation violation from a 2014 drug possession arrest. By Thursday evening, he was charged with manslaughter and booked into the Okaloosa County Jail. The investigation revealed that the gun used in the shooting was stolen, and this aspect of the case continued to be investigated by the authorities.
The case was handled by the Niceville Police Department, with assistance from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the State Attorney’s Office. Despite the arrest and charges, the motive behind the shooting remained unclear, and no further details were provided regarding any additional suspects or litigations related to Hoover's death. The incident left the community in shock, as they grappled with the sudden and senseless loss of a young life.
