On February 23, 2025, at approximately 5:08 PM, 22-year-old Juan German-Garo Jr. was found in his vehicle with multiple gunshot wounds on Washington Terrace in Frostproof, Florida. First responders arrived at the scene, and he was pronounced deceased by Polk County Fire Rescue at approximately 5:28 PM. Two large bags of marijuana were discovered in his vehicle at the time of the incident.
The investigation led to the arrest of two teenagers: 15-year-old Tyjhae Allen and 16-year-old
Charles Jackson III. According to investigators, the teens had arranged to meet German-Garo through an app to purchase $400 worth of marijuana. However, the teenagers never intended to make the purchase and had planned to rob him. During the encounter, Charles Jackson III spoke with German-Garo at the driver's side window for a few minutes before pulling out a Draco pistol and shooting him three times. After the shooting, German-Garo's foot slipped off the gas pedal, causing his vehicle to roll approximately half a block before stopping.
A third arrest was made in connection with the case. Charles Jackson Jr., 37, the father of one of the teenage suspects, was charged with tampering with evidence and accessory to first-degree murder. After seeing Sheriff Judd's news conference on Monday, February 24, Jackson Jr. admitted to texting his son to run and hide from law enforcement and subsequently deleting the messages. Jackson Jr.'s criminal history includes 25 previous felonies and 14 misdemeanors, with prior convictions leading to two separate prison sentences.
Both teenagers face charges of first-degree murder and attempted armed robbery. Allen faces additional charges of giving false information to a law enforcement officer, while the murder weapon, believed to be a Draco automatic pistol, has not been recovered. Charles Jackson III turned himself in at the PCSO Southeast District substation in Lake Wales on Monday, February 24, 2025, at approximately 3:00 PM, while Allen was apprehended shortly after the incident when witnesses' descriptions led investigators to his home, where they found evidence including a red sweatshirt, shoes, and a red backpack matching witness descriptions.
