On March 11, 2024, a tragic shooting occurred at the Cambridge Cove apartment complex in Lakeland, Florida, resulting in the death of 3-year-old Jaquez "JD" Norton. JD was sitting in the backseat of a 2023 Toyota RAV4, along with his 3-month-old sister, his mother Yeimarie Baez, and her boyfriend Robert Einzig, when the vehicle was blocked by a 2014 white Dodge Challenger.
The incident began when the Dodge Challenger, driven by Demarius Wilson, 22, blocked the path of the Toyota RAV4.
Two armed men, later identified as Kavarius Green, 30, and Kemarius Wilson, 22 (Demarius Wilson's fraternal twin brother), got out of the Challenger. An argument ensued, and Green started firing his rifle. During the exchange of gunfire, JD was hit multiple times and Kemarius Wilson was shot in the neck. Einzig, who was also armed, fired back but sustained non-life-threatening gunshot wounds to his lower body. Baez managed to grab her infant daughter and run to safety without being injured.
After the shooting, the men in the Dodge Challenger drove away, eventually stopping at a home on West 14th Street, where Kemarius Wilson was taken to another car and driven to Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center. He was pronounced dead at the hospital. The white Dodge Challenger was later found by police on West Crawford Street, covered with a tarp.
Kavarius Green has since been charged with two counts of murder, including the death of JD and his accomplice Kemarius Wilson. Green turned himself in and his attorney plans to claim the shooting was in self-defense. However, police and JD's family believe the shooting was a targeted attack, as it was not a random act and the perpetrators were specifically interested in the vehicle and its occupants.
The investigation is ongoing, with police still searching for Demarius Wilson, who is believed to have been the driver of the Dodge Challenger. A $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to his arrest. JD's family is grieving deeply and pleading for justice, describing JD as a happy and loving child whose death has devastated their family.
