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Deputies say the shooting on West 12th Street was targeted, and no arrest has been announced.
APOPKA, Fla. — Four men were shot in an Apopka neighborhood Thursday night, and one of them later died, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said, after gunfire erupted on West 12th Street near City Hall in what investigators have described as a targeted attack.
The shooting drew a heavy law enforcement response and left investigators working for hours along two residential blocks. Deputies said they are still trying to identify the shooter or shooters and have not released a motive. The case matters now because one of the victims, Jamarrion Griffin, died days after the attack, turning a four-person shooting into a homicide investigation and deepening concern in a neighborhood where families said the home was a regular gathering place for relatives and friends.
Deputies responded shortly before 9:30 p.m. on March 5 to the 200 block of West 12th Street after reports of a shooting. When they arrived, they found two wounded men and took both to a hospital for treatment. Investigators later learned that two more men with gunshot wounds had reached a hospital on their own. The four victims ranged in age from 21 to 48, according to the sheriff’s office. Early local reports described a chaotic scene, with evidence markers stretching across the street and along nearby property as detectives moved through the area overnight. Witnesses told television reporters they heard a burst of gunfire around 9:20 p.m., and some said they saw a car speed away from the home after the shots were fired. Deputies have not publicly confirmed that description, but they have said the shooting was targeted and not random.
As the investigation continued, the sheriff’s office released few details about how the gunfire started, how many shots were fired or whether investigators believe more than one person was involved. Local TV crews counted at least 16 bullet holes and reported more than 30 evidence markers in the area, signs of a large and messy crime scene that stretched beyond a single front yard. Two of the victims were hurt badly enough that deputies took them from the scene, while the other two were able to reach medical care without waiting for transport. Authorities did not immediately release the conditions of the surviving victims, and they have not identified them by name. By March 9, deputies said Griffin had died from his injuries. Some local outlets initially reported him as 27, while his family identified him as 21 in interviews after his death. The sheriff’s office has not publicly explained that discrepancy, but family members consistently referred to him as 21.
For relatives, the shooting landed in a place that was supposed to feel safe. Griffin’s family told WFTV that the house on West 12th Street was where extended family members gathered for fellowship, celebrations and ordinary evenings together. His mother, Latoya Banks, said her son had gone there to play video games with his cousins when the gunfire broke out. She said she was working a nursing shift when she learned that he had been shot. Banks described her son, known in the family as Jay, as an Eagle Scout and a hard worker who held two jobs, one at Wingstop and another helping with the family cleaning business. She said he had also been preparing to enlist in the Air Force. “He’s a great kid,” Banks said in a television interview. “I don’t know anybody that would want to cause harm.” Her account added a deeply personal layer to a case that, from the outside, still has large gaps. Deputies have not said whether Griffin was the intended target or whether someone else at the gathering may have been the focus of the attack.
The neighborhood context has shaped how residents are talking about the shooting. West 12th Street sits in an older part of Apopka not far from public buildings and established homes, which made the violence feel especially jarring to nearby residents. Neighbor Yvette Patterson told FOX 35 that deputies woke her by knocking on her door after the shooting. She said she had lived in the area for about 10 years and was stunned by what happened so close to home. Her comments echoed a broader reaction from residents who described the sound of rapid gunfire and then the sight of flashing lights, crime scene tape and detectives moving through the block the next morning. The visible evidence field also suggested that investigators were looking at movement through the scene rather than a single, isolated exchange. Even so, officials have not said whether the gunfire came from a passing vehicle, from people outside the home, or from a confrontation that unfolded after someone arrived. For now, that part of the story remains unsettled.
Procedurally, the case is still in the early stages. No arrest had been announced in the days after the shooting, and the sheriff’s office said only that the investigation remained active and ongoing. Because Griffin later died, investigators now face the added step of building a homicide case, which typically means reviewing medical findings, ballistics, witness accounts and any video from homes, businesses or public cameras in the area. Deputies have not released a suspect description, have not said whether they recovered a weapon, and have not announced charges. They also have not said whether the surviving victims have been interviewed in full or whether detectives believe the shooter knew the people at the house. Banks said she had spoken with investigators and believed they were working hard to make an arrest. That public posture is important in a case like this, where residents want quick answers but detectives may be holding back details to protect witness statements and preserve the direction of the inquiry. Any future arrest report or probable cause affidavit could answer many of the questions that remain open now.
Family members and neighbors have tried to fill the silence with memories of Griffin rather than speculation about the attack. Banks said her son could talk with anyone and was the kind of young man who made people feel at ease. Relatives said he had an infectious laugh, an easy smile and a steady role inside a large family network. One cousin described him as the “cool cousin” everybody wanted to sit with. After his death, friends and relatives planned a candlelight vigil at the same West 12th Street home where the shooting happened, turning the crime scene into a place of mourning. Banks said she wanted justice for her son and also spoke about the broader pain caused by repeated shootings in Central Florida neighborhoods. By Monday evening, the family said the other wounded victims had been released from the hospital, a small sign of progress in a case that otherwise remains defined by loss and unanswered questions. The sheriff’s office has continued to ask for leads as detectives work to identify who opened fire and why.
As of Tuesday, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office had not announced an arrest or released a motive. The next major milestone is likely a public update from investigators or the filing of charges, if detectives identify a suspect in the West 12th Street shooting.
Author note: Last updated March 11, 2026.
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