Jury selection set to begin for man accused of deadly 2024 downtown Orlando Halloween shooting
ORLANDO, Fla. —
The trial of Jaylen Edgar, who is accused of killing two people and injuring several others during a shooting in downtown Orlando on Halloween 2024, begins on Monday.
Jury selection is scheduled to start at 9 a.m.
Edgar is charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Tyrek Hill and Tim Schmidt Jr.
On the night of the incident, Orlando police officers responded to a shooting call near East Central Boulevard and North Orange Avenue at about 1:07 a.m.
Minutes later, police said they received another call about shots fired south of Washington Street on North Orange Avenue.
Eight people were shot, two of the victims died and a ninth person was trampled in the chaos.
Victims’ ages range from 19 to 39.
His trial was initially scheduled to begin in January but was delayed after Edgar wrote a letter to the judge claiming mental health issues and psychosis.
The judge denied those claims.
In 2024, the suspect’s brother, Jeffrey Edgar, spoke in an exclusive interview about the incident.
Jeffrey Edgar said he does not know if his brother had specific targets during the shooting but believes his presence could have prevented the tragedy.
